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AHistory
History · Morristown

Morristown’s post office opened in 1822, and 29% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 91% of U.S. towns · #35 of 71 in Vermont. What drives it

4 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 83 buildings. Below: 8 old photos and papers, maps from 1930 on, and the census since 1790.

1822first post office
4on the National Register
29%homes built before 1940
8old photos & papers
5famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Morristown’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Morristown began

When was Morristown founded?

1822

The Morristown post office opened in 1822, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Morristown Corners (1853) and Cady's Falls (1856), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 10 in 17902020 census: 5,434204 years

How historic is Morristown?

A

More historic than 91% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Morristown post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade

What drives Morristown’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Morristown is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns, #35 of 71 in Vermont. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its age lowest.

A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Morristown’s overall grade.
Founding era1822, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194028.6% of homes (±6.5) · typical VT town 22.4% · U.S. 8.4%A−National Register4 listings, 86 historic buildings, 150 per 10,000 residents · typical VT town 147 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 91%
NewerOlder
Vermont towns of 2,500+ (71)Ahead of 51%

Vermont towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Vermont town has 147 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Morristown’s 150 sits near the middle of its state (64% of Vermont towns have fewer) while its 86 historic buildings outnumber those of 88% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.5 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 Morristown’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A historic districtThe Morrisville Historic District takes in 83 historic buildings.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Morristown, and 2 old place names are still on the map.Deep rootsA post office since 1822: 204 years of Morristown.Landmarks on the Register4 places on the National Register.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

4 listings protect 86 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.

places listed
4
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
86
each building in a district counts
first listed
1974
Red Covered Bridge
Red Covered BridgeMorrisville Historic DistrictLamoille River Route 15-A BridgePeoples Academy-Copley Building, Grout Observatory and Community Bandshell
BuildingsDistrictsStructures

Architectural styles listings

Queenpost truss1
Federal1
Greek Revival1
Italianate1
Romanesque Revival1
Queen Anne1
Red Covered BridgeQueenpost truss
Morrisville Historic DistrictFederal
Lamoille River Route 15-A BridgePratt through truss
Peoples Academy-Copley Building, Grout Observatory and Community BandshellClassical Revival

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Morristown had its own post office from 1822 to 1914. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Morristown
1822–1914
Morrisville
1834–today
Morristown Corners
1853–1854
Cady's Falls
1856–1906
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Cadys FallsMorrisville
8cemeteries and burying grounds inside Morristown
La PorteLakeviewMountain ViewPlains - Green LawnPleasant ViewRandolph - HerrickRiverbankWheeler

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Timeline

Morristown, 1822 to 1985

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1822Post officeThe Morristown post office opens
  3. 1834Post officeThe Morrisville post office opens
  4. 1835Born hereH. Henry Powers is born here
  5. 1848Born hereL. M. Shaw is born here
  6. 1850Born hereAustin P. Cristy is born here
  7. 1853Post officeThe Morristown Corners post office opens
  8. 1854Post officeThe Morristown Corners post office closes
  9. 1865In the archiveCascade at Morrisville, Vermont
  10. 20th century
  11. 1914Post officeThe Morristown post office closes
  12. 1918In the archiveDrills - Civilian Bodies - State Guard - Members of the 1st Regiment Infantry, Vermont Vo…
  13. 1930On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  14. 1931Born hereGloria Wing is born here
  15. 1985In the archiveMorristownVT Former15ABridge
The story so far

Morristown, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Morristown yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Morristown is a town in Lamoille County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,434. Morristown is the largest town by population in Lamoille County, and its central village of Morrisville serves as the county's main commercial center.

Its first post office opened in 1822. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 5,227 to 5,434 (+4%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Morristown, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1860s to the 1980s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1860s2 items
Cascade at Morrisville, Vermontc. 1865Cascade at Morrisville, VermontCascade at Morrisville, Vermontc. 1865Cascade at Morrisville, Vermont
1910s4 items
Drills - Civilian Bodies - State Guard - Members of the 1st Regiment Infantry, Vermont Volunteer Militia, photographed …1918Drills - Civilian Bodies - State Guard - Members of t…Drills - Civilian Bodies - State Guard - Officers of the Vermont Volunteer Militia photographed at the State shooting m…1918Drills - Civilian Bodies - State Guard - Officers of …Drills - Infantry - Small Arms Practice - Targets - State shooting meet of the Vermont Volunteer Militia at Morrisville…1918Drills - Infantry - Small Arms Practice - Targets - S…Drills - Infantry - Small Arms Practice - Targets - State shooting meet of the Vermont Volunteer Militia at Morrisville…1918Drills - Infantry - Small Arms Practice - Targets - S…
1920s–1970snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
1980s1 item
MorristownVT Former15ABridge1985MorristownVT Former15ABridge
1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Date unknown1 to date
Rural Information Center updateDate?Rural Information Center updateBook
Today4 recent
Morrisville VT 1-30-2026b2026Morrisville VT 1-30-2026bMorrisville VT 1-30-2026a2026Morrisville VT 1-30-2026aMorrisville2012MorrisvilleMorristown vt highlight2004Morristown vt highlight
On the map

Morristown on the map, 1930 to 1999

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Morristown. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Morristown on the 1930 USGS mapMorristown on the 1943 USGS mapMorristown on the 1953 USGS mapMorristown on the 1986 USGS mapMorristown on the 1999 USGS map1930Hyde Park 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 Morristown.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Cascade at Morrisville, Vermont
Retake this viewCascade at Morrisville, Vermont, c. 1865

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Morristown’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Morristown, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0005,5006,000180018501900195020005,434

Grew from 10 people in 1790 to 5,434 in 2020, more than tenfold.

24 censuses, 1790–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Morristown’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

5 famous people were born in Morristown

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
L. M. ShawAmerican politician · b. 1848
H. Henry PowersAmerican politician, Vermont · b. 1835
Austin P. CristyAmerican newspaper publisher · b. 1850
G
Gloria WingAmerican politician · b. 1931
R
Richard J. BaileyAmerican politician
Help out

Finish Morristown’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewCascade at Morrisville, Vermont: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Hyde Park2 historic placesB+Stowe4 historic placesAJohnson6 historic placesB+Elmore2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townHyde Park1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townCambridge7 historic placesA

Questions about Morristown’s history

What year was Morristown founded?

The Morristown post office opened in 1822, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Morristown rank for history?

Morristown is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns, #35 of 71 in Vermont. 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 Morristown?

4 listings: 1 building, 1 historic district, the Morrisville Historic District, with 83 contributing buildings, and 2 structures. 86 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Morristown?

29% of Morristown’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.5 points), against a typical 22% for a Vermont town; the median home was built in 1979.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 (12), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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 the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.