Morristown Historical Walking Tours: Hauntings & Hikes

The Morris County Tourism Bureau Announces it’s  Fall Walking Tour Series.

Back by popular demand – make your reservations now!

Morristown: October 9, Historic Hike

 A 90 minute hike from the Morris County Courthouse uphill to Fort Nonsense. Historic sites included in the tour will be the Courthouse, the area’s first water system and the story of how a Revolutionary War-era redoubt, Fort Nonsense, got its name.   The tour will be led by Al MacLennan, an experienced hiker and heritage tour guide.  The tour will begin at 6 Court Street, Morristown at 10 a.m.   Tour participants will encounter a steep hill ascending to Fort Nonsense. 

Morristown: October 16, Remains to Be Seen

Morristown’s 300 years of death and dying are revealed by local historian/former museum director David Breslauer with an evening lantern tour of the National Historic District.

Starting with the graves at St. Peter’s churchyard we will recount the lives of the bones and stones that may be at rest.  Buried at the church are Alfred Vail, inventor of the telegraph and George Macculloch and his wife Louisa.  Macculloch created the Morris Canal connecting the Delaware and Hudson Rivers across New Jersey.

The lantern walk will then enter the historic neighborhood.  The grand homes include the Thomas Nast house, a National Landmark, the Kedge, Edgewood, Goodrest, Evergreens, and the Potts mansion, ending at Macculloch Hall where visitors are never alone with five generations of family members still continue to enjoy their home after 140 years!

The tour will start at St. Peter’s Church, Miller & South Street, Morristown 5pm-6:30pm

Morristown: October 23 Real Bones, Old Stones: the Presbyterian Graveyard

Local historian and educator Scott Shepherd will walk you through the graveyard behind the Presbyterian Church revealing the history of Morristown.  Some of the graves reflect the rich and famous of the Morris area such as Estey, Condict, Lindsley, Ford and Doughty.  Other graves are more tragic.  During the Revolution, soldiers dying of smallpox at the church which doubled as a hospital were buried in unmarked graves.  The bones are below, the aged stones are above, and Scott Shepherd will share their story with walking tour visitors. The tour will start at the Presbyterian Church, Park Place, North of the Green, Morristown at 4pm-5:30pm

Admission: $10.00 a person

Reservations are required: (973) 631-5151  www.morristourism.org

Free Admission to Morristown National Historic Park This Weekend

On August 14 and 15, all national parks, including Morristown National Historic Park, are waiving normal admission fees and granting free entrance to all park visitors.
Programs this weekend include -

Neglected and Forgotten,
Saturday, August 14,
1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Jockey Hollow Visitor Center
Even the first American veterans were ill-treated and unappreciated.  Meet a ranger at the Visitor Center and learn about the hardships and neglect endured by the Continental Army soldiers both during and after the American Revolution

Outdoor Musick at the Wick House
Saturday, August 14
7 p.m.

Wick House in Jockey Hollow
Join balladeer Linda Russell as she performs music from the time of the American Revolution. Accompanying herself on hammered and mountain dulcimers, guitar, pennywhistle and limberjack, she illuminates the story of our nation’s birth with ballads, broadsides and dance tunes.  The concert is FREE of charge. Inclement weather will move the concert indoors to the Jockey Hollow Visitor Center. Bring a flashlight and something to sit on.

Cross Estate Tour
Sunday, August 15
10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Meet at the New Jersey Brigade Area/ Cross Estate Parking Lot. Walk the grounds and gardens of the Cross Estate and learn about the lavish lifestyle of the wealthy people of the Mountain Colony during early 20^th century, when Bernardsville was one of the richest towns in America. Learn about the people who lived on the estate including an engineer, a banker, a hunter, a conservationist, gardeners and even park rangers.

ONGOING PROGRAMS
Tours of Washington's Headquarters at the Ford Mansion
Tours are offered daily at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Additional tours and gallery talks are offered depending upon staff availability. Please call 973-539-2016 x 210 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. for the most up-to-date information regarding tour times.
Washington's Headquarters Museum
The 1930s Washington's Headquarters Museum is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The museum features three exhibit galleries, an introductory video, a PowerPoint presentation of the furnished Ford Mansion and a free color- illustrated souvenir booklet of the Ford Mansion's interior. The museum also offers a gift shop/ sales area and serves as the visitor contact point to begin the Ford Mansion tours.
The Wick House at Jockey Hollow
Daily, approximately 9:30 a.m. to noon and 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.