Get the free Morris County Fall Bucket List
60+ of the best things to do across Morris County this fall. Apple picking, corn mazes, hayrides, fall festivals, haunted attractions and cider donuts. Straight to your inbox, free.
Few places in New Jersey wear their history the way Morris County does. This is where the Continental Army spent two brutal winters, where the telegraph was first demonstrated, and where working farms and grand old mansions have been preserved almost exactly as they were. If you want to step back in time without leaving the county, these are the historic sites worth a visit.
Morristown National Historical Park
Morristown National Historical Park was the first National Historical Park in the country, established in 1933, and it protects the ground where George Washington and the Continental Army made their headquarters. At the Ford Mansion on Washington Place in Morristown, you can tour the home Washington used during the winter of 1779 to 1780. A few miles south, Jockey Hollow preserves the fields and woods where thousands of soldiers built log huts and endured the harshest winter of the war. Learn more at the National Park Service site.
Historic Speedwell
Tucked along Speedwell Avenue in Morristown, Historic Speedwell is where Alfred Vail and Samuel Morse publicly demonstrated the electromagnetic telegraph in 1838, a moment that helped change how the world communicates. The Morris County Park Commission site includes the restored factory building, the Vail family home, and a working waterwheel. Details are on the Morris County Park Commission page.
Fosterfields Living Historical Farm
At Fosterfields Living Historical Farm in Morris Township, costumed interpreters run a farm the way it was worked at the turn of the 20th century, with Jersey cows, draft horses, and hand tools. The centerpiece is The Willows, an 1854 Gothic Revival mansion. The farm hosts seasonal programs throughout the year, including cider pressing and pumpkin picking in the fall. See the Fosterfields page for hours.
Cooper Gristmill
On Route 24 in Chester, the Cooper Gristmill is the only restored water-powered mill in New Jersey. Built in 1826 by Nathan Cooper along the Black River, it still grinds grain much the way it did nearly two centuries ago, with millers in period dress leading the demonstrations. The setting is one of the prettiest in the county. Visit the Cooper Gristmill page for program dates.
Craftsman Farms, The Stickley Museum
In Morris Plains, Craftsman Farms was the home of Gustav Stickley, the leader of the American Arts and Crafts movement. His log house, built in the early 1910s, is a National Historic Landmark and now operates as The Stickley Museum, with rooms furnished in the handcrafted style Stickley made famous. Plan a visit through the Stickley Museum site.
Acorn Hall
Acorn Hall on Morris Avenue in Morristown is a beautifully preserved 1853 Italianate Victorian home and the headquarters of the Morris County Historical Society. The interior keeps much of its original furniture, and the grounds include a restored Victorian garden. More information is on the Morris County Historical Society website.
The Schuyler-Hamilton House
This modest Georgian house in Morristown is where Alexander Hamilton courted Elizabeth Schuyler during the Continental Army’s stay in the winter of 1780. Maintained by the Daughters of the American Revolution, it is furnished to the period and open for tours, a small but memorable stop for anyone who followed the Hamilton story.
Mount Tabor
Founded in 1869 as a Methodist camp meeting ground, Mount Tabor in Parsippany is a village of hundreds of colorful Victorian cottages packed along narrow, winding lanes. The whole neighborhood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and a walk through its streets feels like stepping into another century. You can read more in our guide to Mount Tabor.
Once you have visited the landmarks, keep exploring the county’s past. See our roundups of the best museums in Morris County and the forgotten iron and canal ruins you can still walk to.
Enjoying our Morris County coverage?
Add us as a preferred source and our stories show up higher in your Google results.
Add as a preferred source
