5 places in town are on the National Register, among them three historic districts with 292 buildings between them. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1910 on, and the census since 1850.
The Morris post office opened in 1850, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Maple Grove (1836), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 2,155 in 18502020 census: 1,735176 years
How historic is Morris?
A
More historic than 89% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Morris post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Morris’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Morris is more historic than 89% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Morris’ overall grade.
New York towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical New York town has 12.3 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Morris’ 1,553 sits above most of its state (98% of New York towns have fewer) while its 295 historic buildings outnumber those of 95% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±9.4 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
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’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Morris was formed from the Town of Butternuts in April 1849. The town was named after General Jacob Morris (the son of Lewis Morris, a signer of the Declaration of Independence), who was granted land due to property lost during the revolution. In 1859, a part of Town of Pittsfield was transferred to Morris.
Historical data shows a population of 2155 in 1850, 2038 in 1855, 2320 in 1860, 2191 in 1865, 2253 in 1870, and 2303 in 1875. After this, local population declined, the textile mills closed, numbers of sheep plummeted, hops began to give way to dairying, and the local bank failed after speculating in silver mines in New Mexico.
Passages that mention Morris, cut from the printed page as they were published.
A history of Morris County, New Jersey1914 · page 195Read the page →
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of Hanover from the township of Rockaway; thence southwesterly along said line to the point or place of beginning, is hereby set off from the said township of Rockaway, and shall from and after the passage of this act, constitute and be known as “The Township of Denville, in the County of Morris;’’ and the inhabitants of the said township of Denville are hereby constituted a body politic and corporate and shall be governed by the same general laws as other townships in said county of Morris. — (Session Laws of 1913, chap. 352, p. 769.)
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History of Morris County, New Jersey1882 · page 21Read the page →
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Works towards Succasunning, and crossing Whippenung Bridge, and from thence to Succasunning, and from thence to the great pond on the head of Musconecung, do part the Township of Hanover from the Township of Morris; which part of the county of Morris. Lying as aforesaid, to the Southward and Westward of said roads, lines and places, is ordered by the Court to be and remain a Township, District or Precinct, and to be called and distin-
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History of Morris County, New Jersey1882 · page 367Read the page →
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The Morris and Essex Railroad was completed to Hackettstown in 1853. The largest outlay for improvements has been at Port Morris, after the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company obtained a lease of the Morris and Essex Railroad. The Chester railroad is a branch of the Morris and Essex, thirteen miles in length, which leaves the main line near Port Oram, two miles from Dover, and passes through McCainville
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A history of Morris County, New Jersey1914 · page 220Read the page →
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The largest and most important institution is the College of St. Elizabeth which lies also partly in Morris township at Convent Station on the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western railroad, that station being in Morris township. This large and well known institution of the Roman Catholic Church was formerly known as St. Elizabeth’s Academy and was established in Newark, New Jersey, by the Sisters of Charity of that diocese. They were not well located in Newark, and finally succeeded in purchasing from Bishop Bayley the “Chegaray Mansion” on the Madison and Whippany road,
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, 1791 to 1910
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Morris post office opened in 1850, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Morris rank for history?
Morris is more historic than 89% of U.S. towns. 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?
5 listings: 2 buildings and 3 historic districts, the Zion Episcopal Church Complex and Harmony Cemetery, the Morris Village Historic District and the Morris-Lull Farm, with 292 contributing buildings. 295 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Morris?
42% of Morris’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.4 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1968.
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 National Register of Historic Places (5), Wikipedia, 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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.
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