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Originally published in 1939
Some of this information may no longer be current and in that case is presented for historical interest only.
Edited by GET NJ, COPYRIGHT 2003
It was once the boast of MORRISTOWN (400 alt., 15,197 pop.), a town with an extraordinary heritage from Revolutionary times, that within a radius of one mile from the Green lived more millionaires than in any other equal area in the world. It may not have been true. But this Colonial town is still marked by obvious signs of the extreme wealth brought here in the mauve decade and the years following.
Many of the millionaires long ago left for the more exclusive hills of nearby Bernardsville, Bedminster, Peapack, and Far Hills, where they could escape the annoyance of heavy automobile traffic. A number of the great houses were emptied during the depression, when the second generation was unable or unwilling to maintain them. Homes that cost hundreds of thousands were torn down to escape the burden of taxes, or sold at bargain prices (in one instance for less than the cost of the greenhouse) and remodeled on a smaller scale.
Today Morristown is being taken over by the well-to-do middle class. The change is welcomed by businessmen. As one banker commented, "It is better for Morristown to have 20 families in $15,000 or $20,000 homes than one millionaire on 20 acres."
Morristown spreads along both banks of the narrow Whippany River, partly occupying the shoulder of Mount Kemble, with a 597-foot peak, Fort Nonsense, in the city limits. Gillespie Hill is westward, Horse Hill to the north, and Normandy Heights to the east. From this snug setting roads radiate through the well-kept acres of gentlemen farmers to the surrounding communities.
Although only forty-fifth in size among the cities of New Jersey, Morristown, the Morris County seat, is something of a metropolis in miniature. Its banks serve residents of four counties, and from dusk to midnight a red neon glow is reflected above its embryonic skyline. These things are contemporary window dressing for Morristown's Revolutionary heart. The soil in this green basin has never lost the imprint of Washington and his army, visitors here for two critical winters.
There is an air of remote timelessness about the tree-bordered streets, blue flagstone sidewalks, and picket fences. Modern apartment buildings have sprung from the midst of old-fashioned houses, but the visitor still feels that the place is changeless. The park, formerly known as the Green, is at the very center of the community. From this Colonial green all important streets take their courses. Office buildings and two of the larger churches front on the park, with its winding pathways beneath great old trees. There is the same cumulative weather color that is found in old New England villages.
Through a bowery valley that divides the town, the winding Whippany River flows in a shallow bed. Once the center of the Colonial village, the vicinity of Spring and Water Streets on the riverside is now a typical slum section, housing a population largely Negro in an area known to its residents as Little Hollow.
Although Morristown is primarily residential, there are several small industrial enterprises, producing rubber goods, clothing, beach umbrellas, pharmaceuticals, and novelties. Wages, in many instances, are low and dictate a standard of living for the home-town workers that contrasts with the prosperity of the commuting residents.
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