1. Morris County Tourism Bureau

1. Morris County Tourism Bureau

6 Court Street

Welcome to Morristown, New Jersey. We're glad you're here! This tour is part walking and part driving, and can be done in any order. All four of Morris County's national landmarks are included, but only one of them is in downtown Morristown proper.

Morristown is the county seat of Morris County, New Jersey. Morristown was originally settled around 1715. And when iron was discovered in the surrounding hills, the town began to grow and prosper.

During the Revolutionary War and up until today, Morristown has been known as "The Military Capital of the American Revolution." George Washington brought the Continental Army here twice for winter encampments; much of the history of these cold and difficult sojourns is preserved today at Morristown National Historical Park, the country’s first national historical park, which was founded in 1933.

In the years following the Revolutionary War, Morris County became a leader in the iron ore mining and fabrication industry. It was in Morristown that the steam boiler and some of the machinery for the S.S. Savannah, the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean, were crafted. And it was here that the telegraph was perfected by Morristown native, Alfred Vail, at national landmark Historic Speedwell. The old barn still stands in which Vail and Samuel Morse conducted their experiments and sent the first telegraph message, “A patient waiter is no loser” in 1838.

By 1900 the nation’s business and financial leaders who were seeking a getaway from nearby New York City, discovered the Morristown area. Within a few years, more millionaires lived within a three-mile radius of the Morristown Green than anywhere else in the United States or in the world. Some of their opulent Gilded Age mansions have survived until today.

In 1973 Morristown was listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places and was expanded in 1986 to include more than 700 civic, commercial and residential buildings.

The Morris County Tourism Bureau and Visitors Center at 6 Court Street offers programming such as guided historical walking tours and promotes the County’s historical, cultural and recreational attractions. Stop by the office to plan your stay and to pick up a visitors guide, maps, brochures, and souvenirs.