Founding year: the first Morris Plains post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1926.
History grade
What drives Morris Plains’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Morris Plains is more historic than 51% of U.S. towns, #301 of 468 in New Jersey. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Morris Plains’ overall grade.
New Jersey towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical New Jersey town has 3.7 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Morris Plains’ 3.2 sits near the middle of its state (46% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 2 historic buildings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.1 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1926.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Morris Plains’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Morris Plains. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1888Morristown sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Morris Plains.
The story so far
Morris Plains, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Morris Plains yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Morris Plains is a borough in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 6,153, an increase of 621 (+11.2%) from the 2010 census count of 5,532, which in turn reflected an increase of 296 (+5.7%) from the 5,236 counted in the 2000 census. Morris Plains was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 15, 1926, from portions of Hanover Township, based on the results of a referendum held on April 15, 1926. The borough's name comes from Lewis Morris, colonial governor of New Jersey. Morris Plains serves as a bedroom community, with many residents traveling to work in New York City. The Morristo…
Its first post office opened in 1876. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 5,532 to 6,153 (+11%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Morris Plains, 1882–1914
Passages that mention Morris Plains, cut from the printed page as they were published.
A history of Morris County, New Jersey1914 · page 141Read the page →
Read the text
on the east by Florham Park and Madison boroughs, south by Passaic and west by Mendham townships. The Delaware, Lackawanna & Western railroad enters the township at Convent Station, passing through Morristown, leaving the township at Morris Plains. Convent is the only station in the township proper and is located at the very border, the township line passing through! the buildings of the College of Saint Elizabeth, from which the station derives its name. There are also located the handsome grounds of the Morris County Golf Club and the famous “Punch
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
A history of Morris County, New Jersey1914 · page 124Read the page →
Read the text
State Hospital for the Insane at Morris Plains — This institution is located at Greystone Park, just west of the village of Morris Plains. The necessary data were not obtainable that would enable us to give a description of one of the finest and best-equipped hospitals in the State. However,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Morris County, New Jersey1882 · page 42Read the page →
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The Hathaway forge on the Whippany, close to the Morris and Essex Railroad, and about a mile west of Morris Plains station, was built by Captain James Keene, who was a captain in the Revolutionary army, and who ran it until 1780. Jonathan Hathaway, from whom it took its name, owned and ran it for over twenty-five years, then Benjamin Holloway until 1806, when it was burned down. It was rebuilt, but a fresliet in 1821
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Morris County, New Jersey1882 · page 105Read the page →
Read the text
county nearly on the line of the Ramapo River, and enters Morris county at Pompton; thence running on a very direct southwesterly course it passes through the city of Boonton, and on to Morris Plains; there it turns to the south and swings around the foot of Trowbridge
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Morris Plains, 1863 to 1976
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
The Morris Plains post office opened in 1876, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1926.
How does Morris Plains rank for history?
Morris Plains is more historic than 51% of U.S. towns, #301 of 468 in New Jersey. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Morris Plains?
One place: the Morris Plains Station (listed 1984).
How old are the homes in Morris Plains?
16% of Morris Plains’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.1 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1964.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (11), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1976
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2026
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