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Quick answer: Morris Plains is celebrating 100 years as a borough in 2026. Residents approved breaking away from Hanover Township in a referendum on April 15, 1926, and this year the town has marked it with a student reenactment of that first council meeting, a birthday party, a new town mural, a time capsule and a centennial edition of its Pumpkin Illumination.
Some towns throw one party for a big birthday. Morris Plains decided to celebrate all year long.
The borough, home to about 6,150 people as of the 2020 census, turns 100 in 2026. A volunteer Centennial Committee led by Mayor Jason C. Karr and chair Jim Myers has spent the year turning that milestone into a string of hometown moments under a fitting motto: The Community of Caring. Here is how one of Morris County’s smallest boroughs has been celebrating, and what is still ahead.
How Morris Plains became a borough in 1926
Before 1926, Morris Plains was part of Hanover Township. In March 1926, the New Jersey Legislature passed an act creating the new borough, and local voters sealed it in a referendum held on Thursday, April 15, 1926. The borough seal still carries the year 1926, and it sits at the center of this year’s red, white and blue 100 Years logo.
The town grew up around the railroad. The Morris Plains train station, a one story red brick building in the Renaissance Revival style, was built in 1915 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. It still serves NJ Transit’s Morristown Line, with trains to Hoboken and New York Penn Station, which is a big part of why the downtown along Speedwell Avenue feels so walkable.
A centennial year that started with a council reenactment
The Morris Plains Centennial Committee kicked off the year on Thursday, January 15, 2026, in the Borough School auditorium. Students led a reenactment of the 1926 council meeting and the incorporation of Morris Plains, and the first real Borough Council meeting of 2026 followed right after. It was a smart way to hand the town’s story to the next generation.
Two days later, on Saturday, January 17, the Community Center hosted a family birthday party with face painting, balloon art, carnival games, entertainment and, of course, cake. In February, neighbors gathered at the VFW on Tabor Road for a Centennial Cocktail Celebration featuring beer from local breweries.
A new town mural, merchandise and a time capsule
The centerpiece of the spring was a new town mural, which the committee dedicated on Saturday, April 18, 2026, near the train trellis. The committee called it its gift to the Community of Caring, and the artwork packs a century of Morris Plains into one scene: a train marked 1926 and 2026, downtown storefronts, trees, families at play and the words 100 Years of Caring.
The committee also invited local sports teams, Scout troops and school groups to design and sell their own centennial merchandise using the official logo, with every dollar raised going back to those groups. The same call went out for the centennial time capsule, asking residents a simple question: what will future residents want to see from 2026?
Summer fireworks and a fall full of tradition
The borough’s annual Family Day and Fireworks at Community Park on June 27 carried the centennial logo this year, as we noted in our Family Day preview. In October, the Recreation Commission’s Community Bonfire brought hayrides and pumpkin decorating back to town.
Then on Friday, October 30, Downtown Morris Plains billed its fourth annual Pumpkin Illumination as the centennial edition. The event fills the Merchant Block at 771 Speedwell Avenue, the strip of shops that serves as the town’s front porch, with carved and glowing jack o’ lanterns.
What is still to come in Morris Plains
The holidays are next. The Morris Plains Rotary calendar lists the Community Tree Lighting for Sunday, December 13, 2026, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Merchants Block on Speedwell Avenue. The borough had not posted its own notice at press time, so check our Morris County tree lighting guide for updates. The committee shares news on Instagram at @morrisplains100 and on the borough’s centennial page.
Want to spend a day in the birthday borough? Our guide to things to do in Morris Plains covers the Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms, the parks and the best places to eat along Speedwell Avenue.
Frequently asked questions
When did Morris Plains become a borough?
Morris Plains was created from part of Hanover Township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature in 1926, confirmed by a local referendum on April 15, 1926.
What is the Morris Plains centennial motto?
The centennial logo carries the motto The Community of Caring, and the new town mural reads 100 Years of Caring.
How old is the Morris Plains train station?
The red brick station was built in 1915 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. It still serves NJ Transit’s Morristown Line.
How can I follow centennial events?
The Morris Plains Centennial Committee posts updates on the borough’s centennial page and on Instagram at @morrisplains100.
Photo: Robert Mortell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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