1664Culture
It became part New Netherland, a Dutch colony, but the English seized control of the region in 1664, which was granted to Sir George Carteret and John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkel...
1715Government
According to British colonial records, the first permanent settlement in Morristown was New Hanover, founded in 1715 by colonists from New York and Connecticut.
1739Civil Rights
Morris County was created on March 15, 1739, from portions of Hunterdon County.
1773Military
George Washington first came to Morristown in May 1773, two years before the Revolutionary War broke out, and traveled from there to New York City with John Parke Custis, his st...
1776History
Morristown's Burnham Park has a statue, "Father of the American Revolution", depicting Thomas Paine, who wrote Common Sense in 1776, which urged a complete break from British ru...
1777Civil Rights
In 1777, General Washington and the Continental Army marched from the victories at Trenton and Princeton to encamp near Morristown from January to May.
1779Military
From December 1779 to June 1780, the Continental Army's second encampment at Morristown was at Jockey Hollow.
1780Military
The winter of 1780 was the worst winter of the Revolutionary War.
1792Government
=== Libraries ===
Morristown and Morris Township Public Library - Originating as informal book trading in 1792, the library was officially incorporated in 1866.
1822Infrastructure
Macculloch, who in 1822 convened a group to discuss his concept for a canal.
1825History
In July 1825 during his 15 month return tour of the United States, the Marquis de Lafayette returned to Morristown, where a ball was held in his honor at the 1807 Sansay House o...
1833Crime
He was tried and convicted of murder of the Sayres (but not of Phoebe) on August 13, 1833.
1838Architecture
Morse and Alfred Vail built the first telegraph at the Speedwell Ironworks in Morristown on January 6, 1838.
1843Government
On December 18, 1843, the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church was incorporated.
1853History
Acorn Hall – 1853 Victorian Italianate mansion and home to the Morris County Historical Society.
1860Government
The Academy of Saint Elizabeth was founded at Morristown in 1860 by the Sisters of Charity, however when municipal boundaries were redrawn in 1895, the academy found itself in t...
1865Government
Morristown was incorporated as a town by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 6, 1865, within Morris Township, and it was formally set off from the township in 1895.
1870Education
The first site of the Church was located at 13 Spring Street and served as the only schoolhouse for colored children until 1870.
1874History
The Church relocated to its present site at 59 Spring Street in 1874.
1880Military
Between 1880 and 1929, the Gilded Age of Morristown occurred, when dozens of "millionaires with large fortunes built their estates" in Morristown and Morris Township.
1889Government
In 1889, Christian charity organization Market Street Mission was established on 9 Market Street beside the Morristown Green in response to the large number of saloons on Market...
1893Government
The Peck School, a private day school which serves approximately 300 students in kindergarten through grade eight, dates back to 1893 when it was originally established as Miss ...
1895Government
Established in 1895, the line runs from Morristown and runs through East Hanover Township and Hanover Township to Roseland.
1896Economy
Morris Township describes the influx of millionaires to the area:By 1896, an estimated 54 millionaires lived in the Morristown area, with a total wealth of $289,000,000, which [...
1899Government
The first Jews moved to Morristown in the 1850s, but much larger numbers of Ashkenazi Jews migrated to the region from Eastern Europe in the 1890s, which led to the incorporatio...
1902Military
Six years later in 1902, there were at least 91 millionaires.This included New York warehouse and grain broker Charles Grant Foster, who bought the farm estate and mansion of Un...
1910Architecture
In 1910, the late Augustus Lefebvre Revere (brother of hospital founder Paul Revere) willed the Hospital $10,000 to be used for the erection of a new building.
1914Disaster
After growing to 30,000 volumes, a 1914 fire destroyed the lyceum and much of its contents.
1916Disaster
In 1916, textile merchant Grinnell Willis constructed and paid for a new fireproof building.
1918Disaster
It suffered a fire in 1918, and the original structure was demolished, but new buildings for the hospital were built directly across the street.
1927History
It was later managed by Caroline Rose Foster, though most of its herd was sold in a 1927 auction.
1928Military
It was dedicated on October 19, 1928, the anniversary of the surrender of British General Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown in 1781.
1937Architecture
Mayo Performing Arts Center – a former Walter Reade movie theater originally constructed in 1937 that has been converted into a 1,302-seat performing arts center.
1939Education
Delbarton School is an all-boys Roman Catholic school with approximately 540 students in grades seven through twelve, that began serving resident students in 1939 after having p...
1943Government
Morris Museum – formally incorporated in 1943.
1948Military
A copy of The Hiker by Theo Alice Ruggles Kitson, commemorating the soldiers who fought in the Spanish–American War, was installed at the corner of Elm Street and Morris Avenue ...
1950History
He wrote, "These are the times that try men's souls..." The statue was dedicated on July 4, 1950.
1965Government
Primary and elementary schools include The Red Oaks School, an independent private school founded in 1965 and serving pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, that offers both Mon...
1966Education
202 and NJ 24 (added 1966)
Morristown School – Junction of Whippany Road and Hanover Avenue, Morris Township (added 1996)
Mount Kemble Home – 1 Mt.
1971History
Donated to the historical society in 1971 by Mary Crane Hone, the mansion retained much of its original furnishings and accouterments as it remained in the same family for over ...
1973History
In 1973, it became Community Medical Center.
1977History
In 1977, the center became bankrupt and was purchased by the then new and larger Morristown Memorial Hospital, which is now the Morristown Medical Center.
1979History
In 1979 it was donated to the Morris County Park Commission.
1986History
Kemble, Western, and Speedwell Avenues (added 1986)
Morristown National Historical Park – At junction of U.S.
1999Infrastructure
Morristown was designated in 1999 as of one of New Jersey's first five "transit villages".
2000History
=== 2000 census ===
As of the 2000 United States census there were 18,544 people, 7,252 households, and 3,698 families residing in the town.
2006Crime
Until late 2006, the house where the murders were committed was known as "Jimmy's Haunt," which is purported to be haunted by Phoebe's ghost because her murder never saw justice.
2007History
Jimmy's Haunt was torn down to make way for a bank in 2007.
2008History
Jabez Campfield House – 5 Olyphant Place (added 2008)
Dr.
2009History
=== 21st century ===
On January 5, 2009, five red lights were spotted in the Morristown area night skies, who gained significant press coverage and 9-1-1 calls.
2010History
=== 2010 census ===
The 2010 United States census counted 18,411 people, 7,417 households, and 3,649 families in the town.
2015Education
In a ruling issued in June 2015, Tax Court Judge Vito Bianco ruled that the hospital would be required to pay property taxes on nearly all of its campus in the town.
2016History
The 2016-2020 5-year American Community Survey estimates show that the median household income was $111,130 (with a margin of error of +/- $13,384) and the median family income ...
2019History
=== Politics ===
As of June 2019, a total of 11,330 voters were registered in Morristown, of which 5,087 (44.9%) were Democrats, 2,208 (19.5%) Republicans, and 4,035 (35.6%) wer...
2020History
== Demographics ==
=== 2020 census ===
The 2020 United States census counted 20,180 people, 8,391 households, and 4,199 families in Morristown.
2022History
As of 2022, the organization continues to operate a homeless shelter, meals, and emergency services, along with men's drug addiction recovery groups, community counseling, a cha...
2025Government
For the 119th United States Congress, New Jersey's 11th congressional district is currently vacant, following the resignation Mikie Sherrill (D, Montclair), who was elected Gove...
2026Government
As of 2026, the Mayor of Morristown is Democrat Timothy Dougherty, whose term of office ends December 31, 2029.
2027Military
New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Democrats Cory Booker (Newark, term ends 2027) and Andy Kim (Moorestown, term ends 2031).
2028History
Mastrangelo (R, Montville, 2028),
Christine Myers (R, Harding Township, 2028), Tayfun Selen (R, Chatham Township, 2026), and
Deborah Smith (R, Denville Township, 2027).