Morristown Historical Walking Tour Summer Series

Summer Tour Series – featuring 3 new tours and offering our classic “Morristown in 3 Centuries” tour every Saturday through the summer.

Book early to reserve your space by calling (973) 631-5151.

The Morris County Tourism Bureau (MCTB) welcomes you to join them again for their perennial walking tour series. Experience the rich history Morris County has to offer with a knowledgeable guide. Through June, July and August tours will be offered Saturday mornings at 10:00 a.m. and will last approximately 90 minutes. Tickets are $10 each. Please mail your pre-payment to MCTB, 6 Court Street, Morristown, New Jersey 07960, to hold your reservation.


Secrets & Lore of Historic Morristown
Docent: Carol Barkin
June 4 and June 11

Grand homes, wealthy builders, and some annoying neighbors are part of the story of the development of Morristown’s historic residential district. As two farms combined to become one of the nation’s most prestigious summer enclaves during the Gilded Age, the new ‘summer cottages’ and their inhabitants changed the character of Morristown’s landscape and its social scene.

Walk by beautifully restored and maintained Victorian homes with Carol Barkin, Outreach Manager for the Morris County Tourism Bureau, and hear the stories of wayward chickens and pigs, brick walls against car traffic, week-long parties, tycoons and backyard views. The tour ends in Morristown’s ‘secret garden.’

Tour begins at 6 Court Street, Morristown. Group size is limited to 25.

Morristown in Three Centuries
Docents: Mark Texel, Ted Edgar
June 18-August 13 (excluding July 2)

This historic Morristown walking tour covers nearly a mile within Morristown’s historic district. Over three hundred years of Morristown history is covered from its earliest beginnings at the Presbyterian Church of Morristown through the Industrial Revolution and to the flamboyant Gilded Age. The Vail Mansion, Macculloch Hall, and the Thomas Nast House are among the sites that are discussed.

Mark Texel is the Director of the Morris County Park Commission’s Historic Sites Division in Morristown, New Jersey. He is a trustee of the Washington Valley Association and lives in a circa 1920s farmhouse in Morris Township.

Ted Edgar was formerly a U.S. National Park ranger at Morristown National Historical Park and at Thomas Edison’s Laboratory and home in West Orange. He is
an expert on New Jersey’s Revolutionary War history and weapons, and has participated in battle re-enactments.

Starts at 6 Court Street, Morristown. Group size is limited to 25.


Trial of the 19th Century: Antoine LeBlanc
Lecturer: Judge Kenneth C. MacKenzie
June 25 and July 30

Learn all about Morristown’s most famous murder trial as you sit in the actual courtroom where Antoine LeBlanc was tried in 1833 for the murder of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Sayre and their servant Phoebe. The triple murder trial shocked the entire state and resulted in LeBlanc’s execution by hanging on the Morristown Green.

The story is told by the Honorable Kenneth C. MacKenzie, retired Judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey, historian, and member of the Board of Trustees of Historic Speedwell. He will share his legal insights into one of Morris County’s most notorious trials.

Tour starts at 6 Court St. Morristown, and is held in the Courthouse across the street.


Historic Churches of Morristown
Docent: Peg Schultz
July 16 and August 13

Morristown is a town of towers and spires, home to several churches with varied and unique architectural features. Join us as we visit Morristown’s historic churches including the First Baptist Church, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, The Church of the Assumption, The Presbyterian Church of Morristown, the Church of the Redeemer, and the United Methodist Church. Some of the churches will be open so that the interiors can be viewed.

Peg Shultz is the Archivist and Acting Director of the Morris County Heritage Commission, has been a docent for the Tourism Bureau for a number of years.
Tour starts at 6 Court Street. Group size is limited to 25.

The Seeing Eye’s Training Ground
Docents: Jim and Ginger Kutsch New in 2011!
July 23

North America’s first guide dog training school, The Seeing Eye of Morris Township was founded in 1929 by Morris Frank. You’ve noticed the statue of Morris and his dog, Buddy, off the Morristown Green, maybe even toured The Seeing Eye’s campus. During this tour you’ll learn about the history of The Seeing Eye, walk the streets where the dogs train, and see how Seeing Eye® dogs respond to their owners. As we walk from the in-town training center of The Seeing Eye, we’ll pass sites important to the history of the organization and cross the historic Morristown Green; you can even take your picture with Morris and Buddy.

Husband and wife, Jim and Ginger Kutsch, lead us on this unique tour. Jim serves as the president and CEO of The Seeing Eye; Ginger is a volunteer with the organization. Both are graduates of The Seeing Eye.

Tour begins at 14 Maple Avenue, Morristown. Limited to 25.

The Seeing Eye provides specially bred and trained dogs to guide people who are blind. Seeing Eye-dog users experience greatly enhanced mobility and independence, allowing them to retain their active lifestyles. The Seeing Eye is a philanthropy supported by contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations, bequests, and other planned gifts.

The Seeing Eye is a trademarked name and can only be used to describe the dogs bred and trained at the school’s facilities in Morristown, N.J. If you would like more information on The Seeing Eye, please visit the website at www.SeeingEye.org, call (973) 539-4425, or email info@seeingeye.org.


George Vail’s Willow Hall – New in 2011!
Docents: Carol Barkin & members of the Passaic River Coalition
June 18

Be among the first members of the public to visit the former home of George Vail of the Speedwell Iron Works. In January 2011 this handsome puddingstone villa, based on a design by Andrew Jackson Downing, was placed National Registry of Historic Places. Recently restored and open to the public for the first time in 163 years, it is now home to the Passaic River Coalition. We will tour the home, outbuildings and gardens which sit beside picturesque Speedwell Lake, learn about the Vail family’s contributions to the Industrial Revolution and the telegraph, and the rescue and restoration of this important local historic treasure.

The tour will begin at 330 Speedwell Avenue. Group size is limited to 25. Parking is available on-site.

Discover Dover’s Past – New in 2011!
Docent: George Laurie
July 9

The Town of Dover is nearing the 300th anniversary of its founding, a perfect time to reflect on its importance to the growth of Morris County. Dover has always played a key role in American history – from its iron forges that provided ammunition to the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, to its world-class factories and mills that helped fuel the Industrial Revolution, from its involvement along the Morris Canal, to its status as a mecca for entertainment, vaudeville, and shopping. As you walk through Dover’s vibrant downtown, with its historic churches and buildings, you’ll hear the stories of the immigrants, the entrepreneurs, and the celebrities that have left their mark on Dover.

George Laurie is the museum curator of the Dover Historical Museum House and a member of the Dover Area Historical Society.

The tour will begin at 55 West Blackwell Street, Dover. Limited to 25. Parking is available at the Prospect Street lot between Blackwell and Chestnut Streets.

Tours generously sponsored by Century 21 Department Store and Greenberry’s Coffee Company.

Contact Information

Deidre Schunk

Information Manager

Morris County Tourism Bureau

Contact via E-mail