Did you know America’s first national historic landmark is in Morristown? Discover Morris County by exploring important heritage destinations that have been attracting visitors and notable guests for over 300 years.
1. Acorn Hall
This Victorian Italianate style villa is a lasting example of upper middle-class life in the late- nineteenth century Morristown. Home the Morristown Historical Society, Acorn Hall hosts changing exhibits on local history and offers a gift shop and formal garden.
2. Ayres/Knuth Farm
Ayres/Knuth Farm has been a continuously operated farm since it was first settled in 1793. The farm is considered to be one of the most complete examples of a nineteenth century agricultural complex in Morris County.
3. Bamboo Brook Outdoor Education Center
Also known as Merchiston Farm, Bamboo Brook Education Center was the home of Martha Hutcheson, one of America's first female landscape architects. The farm became a living laboratory for Martha as the property evolved to include terraces, a lawn, pond, pool, waterways, walks, an orchard, kitchen gardens, and a tennis court. Today, Bamboo Brook is a living, breathing example of an early integration of native plants in a designed landscape.
4. Bridget Smith House Museum
The Bridget Smith House Museum is the last known mine worker's dwelling in the region. Built in 1855, the two-family home is located in the mining community of Irishtown in Mine Hill. The museum is operated by the Ferromonte Historical Society of Mine Hill which offers tours throughout the year.
5. Cooper Gristmill
The Cooper Gristmill was once the heart of a thriving industrial community and played a vital role in the area's development during the Industrial Revolution. Witness the amazing power of the Black River, harnessed to run a steel water wheel and grind grains into flour using massive 2,000-pound millstones. Visitors are invited to take home stone-ground flour and cornmeal produced at the Gristmill.
6.Fosterfields Living Historical Farm
Experience farm living as it was done over 100 years ago and enjoy many of the daily farm activities that took place in the 1920s. Visit the farm animals, watch the farmer plowing or planting the fields, and help collect eggs and grind corn to feed the chickens. Chat with one members of the staff dressed in period clothing to learn more details about the lifestyle of those who lived and worked on the farm.
7.Growing Stage at the Historic Palace Theatre
The Palace Theatre was built in 1919 and served as a center of entertainment in northwest New Jersey for over 50 years. The fully restored Palace features a 220-seat theatre and balcony/art gallery graced with hand-painted murals, a modern concession area, rehearsal space, classrooms, and administrative offices. Visit the theatre to attend a workshop or catch a show!
8.Historic Speedwell
Discover the "Birthplace of the Telegraph" and New Jersey's unique role in the Industrial Revolution! Inside the restored buildings, enjoy interactive exhibits on the development of the telegraph and its connection to modern communications. Visitors can experience life during the mid-nineteenth century through guided tours, special events, school and youth programs, summer camps, and exhibits.
9.King Store and Homestead Museums
The King Store presents a unique opportunity to visit and tour a remarkably preserved time capsule of a late-nineteenth century general store and post office. It is a cultural gem within the growing statewide Morris Canal Greenway and represents the state’s coal and canal industries. Located across a landscaped two-acre yard is the King Homestead, a Queen Anne-style residence built in 1878. Following a tour of the King Store and Homestead, rest on the spacious front porch to enjoy the gentle breezes and imagine days gone by.
10.Macculloch Hall Historic Museum
Macculloch Hall has been part of the local community for over 200 years, first as a home to George and Louisa Macculloch, and since 1950, as a non-profit museum and garden known as Macculloch Hall Historical Museum. Today, the museum is renowned for its major collection of works by nineteenth-century American cartoonist Thomas Nast who popularized the Republican Elephant, Democratic Donkey, and America’s image of Santa Claus.
11.Morris Museum
The Morris Museum resides in Morristown’s stately Twin Oaks Mansion. Before its contemporary use as a museum facility the mansion belonged to the Frelinghuysen family, a New Jersey political dynasty with roots in colonial America. As New Jersey’s second largest museum, the Morris Museum provides multifaceted arts and science programming to people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds.
12.Morristown National Historical Park
Home to America's first national historic landmark, Morristown National Historical Park preserves, maintains, and interprets the landscapes, archeological resources, and collections of the Continental Army winter encampments, the headquarters of General George Washington, and related Revolutionary War sites at Morristown. Take a tour of the Ford Mansion or walk the hiking trails through the historic landscape.
13.Museum of Early Trades and Crafts
The Museum of Early Trades and Crafts (METC) is a history museum working to tell the stories of the people who lived and worked in New Jersey from the colonial era through the age of industrialization. Its exhibits explore and interpret the history and culture of the past, helping visitors understand how it impacts our lives today. Visitors will marvel at the historic James Library Building in which the museum lives.
14.Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms
This 30-acre National Historic Landmark is the 1911 estate of Gustav Stickley, internationally known for his multiple roles as a philosopher, publisher, social critic, and leader of the American Arts and Crafts Movement. The centerpiece of the park-like estate is Stickley’s massive Log House, which exemplifies his philosophy of building in harmony with the environment by using natural materials. Tour the Log House or enjoy the meadows, wooded areas, and walking trails to see the additional remaining structures on the farm property.
