Morristown’s central square (known as the Green); early 1960s.
Recently the Morris County Historical Society released a nice collection of historical images of Morristown, New Jersey (the county seat). Many of these photos I have never seen before. They not only show some beautiful lost architecture, but also Curbside Classics from the “horse & buggy” era through the 1960s. For added interest I have included modern Google Street View images so we can see how this small northeastern city has changed over the years. I also threw in some other photos I found, including some I took back in the 1980s and ’90s. So as Peabody said to Sherman, “Set the Wayback Machine” and let’s see what we find:
Map of Morristown, 1954.
DOWNTOWN:
Dumont Place, looking up toward the Green. Methodist church and Presbyterian church visible in the background. I hope that car coming down the hill can stop–I don’t think they used road salt in those days! MCHS
Methodist church steeple remains; Presbyterian church now obscured.
Park Theatre, next to the Presbyterian church, facing the Green. (Demolished)
The old theatre site was made into a little park. There was a stone fountain, classical lampposts, brick pavers, and flowering pear trees when I photographed it in 1989.
At some point, the fountain was removed, along with the lampposts, the bricks, and the pear trees. Who knows why.
And next door to that was this RCA Victor dealer in 1931.
Speedwell Avenue from Park Place, just past the theatre and the RCA store. Castle-like building on the right is a former police station.
Stores at left were replaced by Bamberger’s department store in the 1940s; Headquarters Plaza (erected in the 1970s) is seen on the right.
Close-up of police station. Civil War veterans of the NJ 15th Volunteer Regiment at a 1929 reunion (L to R): Rev. W. W. Hammond, Jacob Lunger, E. A. Doty, and John Williamson. MCHS
Farther up Speedwell, near Spring Street. MCHS
Babbitt Clothiers has lost its original siding and shutters, but the yellow brick building next door is remarkably well preserved.
South Street, view westward towards the Green.
A few old facades remain, but not all of them.
Washington Street, just off the Green, looking east, 1992. Cars of the ’70s were still commonly seen. Author’s own photograph.
Present-day Google Street View.
Plaza Building, South & Elm Streets. MCHS
Except for the storefront tenants (and the cars), not much has changed.
Spring Street from Morris Street. Even the “slummy” parts of town had a certain rustic charm. I could see an artist painting this, and you could hang it on your wall and it wouldn’t look out of place at all. Large house in the distance is Dickerson’s Tavern where Benedict Arnold received his first court-martial from General George Washington in 1779. MCHS
The houses and the tavern are long gone, but ruins of the stone walls and concrete steps going down to the sidewalk remain. I suspect the building across the street (“LIGHTING”) won’t be around much longer.
Selling ice cream on Race Street. MCHS
Race Street was renamed Clyde Potts Drive, and all houses in the area were demolished to make way for low-income apartment buildings.
Last of the old style street signs (no longer there).
MILLIONAIRES’ ROW: MADISON AVENUE
Beginnings of Mansion Row on Madison Avenue from a map drawn in 1910.
Same view today.
Florham, June 1941. MCHS
Madison Avenue, once known as “The Great White Way” was, at its peak, lined with approximately 100 Gilded Age mansions and their landscaped grounds. Today, only about five of them survive. The grandest is Florham, former residence of Hamilton McKown Twombly and his wife Florence Adele Vanderbilt. Florham now serves as the administration building for Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Mrs. Hamilton McKown Twombly (nee Florence Adele Vanderbilt) as painted by John Singer Sargent, 1890.
Carriage rides at Florham. Author’s own photograph.
However, most of the Madison Avenue mansions were not true estates like Florham, but rather large, ornate houses built on relatively smaller plots. I got to photograph two of them before they fell to the wreckers:
Madison & Lafayette Avenues, 1986. Author’s own photograph.
Now TD Bank.
“Tourelle” once stood on Madison Avenue near Normandy Parkway, opposite Friendly’s restaurant. Author’s Own Photograph from 1985.
I actually explored the inside when the house was empty and abandoned (Don’t tell anyone!) It was demolished shortly thereafter.
Tourelle property now “The Village at Convent Station” (townhouses).
Alnwick Hall is one of the last survivors on the Avenue, now used for corporate offices.
I parked my ’58 Cadillac out front because I thought it would make a great backdrop for a picture.
OTHER HOUSES:
“The Grove”, 69 Macculloch Avenue, c. 1995. Growing up, this was my dream house. In 1995, you could have bought it for $450,000. Way out of my price range at the time. A splendid 1865 Second Empire house with all of its original features intact. Author’s own photograph.
Side view. How about that bay window over the portico? I wish I could show you the interior–the front rooms, hall, and staircase are really beautiful. The grounds were originally landscaped by Frederick Law Olmstead, who designed New York’s Central Park.
“The Grove” today. A lot of renovation work has been done on it. Zillow now values the house at $1.7 million. Author’s own photograph.
Well, I did manage to get a little piece of The Grove. They had an estate sale, and I picked up this tufted Victorian armchair (see blue arrow) which may have been part of the house’s early furnishings.
205 Morris Street as photographed by Jack Falat, c. 1976. That’s a genuine Victorian tin roof.
Like so many once-charming older houses in Morristown, it’s been through the “remuddle” treatment–vinyl siding, plastic replacement windows, architectural details stripped off or covered over. Blocks and blocks of this make the town look ugly and dull. Why not restore it correctly to begin with? A photographer like Jack Falat probably wouldn’t bother taking a picture of it now.
What I called “The Addams Family House”: 1 Franklin Place.
All cleaned up now. Doesn’t seem so spooky and mysterious anymore.
The stairhall features this incredible stained glass window. From the website apartments.com
Houses on Ridgedale Avenue which have since disappeared, 1990s. Author’s own photograph.
OUTSKIRTS:
Burnham Pool, on Route 24 headed out of town. MCHS
No longer “the ole swimmin’ hole”, but modern concrete pools with all kinds of amenities.
“Morristown Raceway opened in 1950 as a half mile dirt speedway track hosting Stock Car Racing. In its second year of operation the venue was hosting NASCAR Grand National events. Tim Flock was the winner of the first event. NASCAR continued to support the venue up until 1955 when the track closed.” (From the website Speedway and Road Race History). When these cars were through racing, I believe some of them were dumped in the woods across Hanover Avenue, and I remember seeing those cars (many of which were riddled with bullet holes!) Mennen Arena was built on the racetrack site.
Abandoned Buick in the woods off Malcolm Street. Author’s own photograph
The barn was torn down in the 1970s and a Wendy’s now occupies the site.
Ruined estate, Woodland Avenue & Kitchell Road, Morris Township, 1989. Replaced by condominiums. Author’s own photograph.
Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital looked so cheery and bright when it opened in 1876.
More the way I remember it . . . (Photo from the website morriscountynj.gov)
Despite local opposition, the old hospital was demolished about ten years ago. So there’s one less creepy abandoned mental hospital in the world. Today the site is nothing but grass. (Photo from the website northjersey.com)
KODACHROMES:
Gold’s–a locally famous and popular store on Morris Street & Olyphant Place looked like this in the 1950s. The neon letters lit up bright orange at night.
Gold’s is still there–at least in name. Doesn’t look nearly as inviting. Was it really necessary to brick over the store windows?
On Market Street, a store sign with just–a pig. No other identification. This place will sell pork meat and will butcher your hog for you. “Put out a picture of a pig and they will come.” Looks like it had bulbs originally.
Parade float going down South Street, 1965. The float commemorates George Washington and has a model of Washington’s Headquarters (located in Morristown).
There I am! Morristown Green, Christmas 1969.
So that’s Morristown. As you can probably tell, I’m not too thrilled about some of the changes that have occurred over the decades. While a lot of attention was paid to the town’s Colonial heritage, its wealth of Victorian architecture was often ignored, neglected, bulldozed, or covered over. There is still a fair amount of it surviving, but there could have been so much more of it preserved–and I think the town would have been better off aesthetically had that happened.
There goes another one! Historic mansion at Columbia Turnpike & Whippany Road was torn down just last year.
Then there’s the loss of “traditional” stores downtown which made Morristown a local shopping hub. There were two large department stores: Epstein’s and Bamberger’s (later Macy’s, then Century 21). Traffic from those two places helped support the smaller stores. The department stores are gone now, as well as what I would call “useful” stores like hardware stores, low-end antique shops, and places that repaired and rebuilt auto radiators–even the pig store is gone .
Roots Steakhouse outdoor dining area in Morristown, New Jersey on Thursday, July 20, 2023. Photo from nj.com
Today the business district is dominated by banks, tanning and nail salons, fitness places, and high-end restaurants catering to the young adult “hipster” crowd that likes to socialize, have fun, and spend a lot of money doing it. Think Starbucks, Bluemercury, The Frog and other restaurants, Morristown Game Vault (for gamers) etc. Morristown is still a great town; it’s just entering a new phase of its existence.
Situated on the Green are the Alliance Statues: correctly-scaled, life-like statues of George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and the Marquis de Lafayette. You can stand up close to them–and get the momentary surreal feeling that you’re actually meeting these famous men in person for yourself! Photo by Wally Gobetz
A better question might be, “What would George Washington think of Morristown if he visited it today?” After experiencing the shock of seeing automobiles for the first time, he would probably recognize the Green (but none of the buildings around it) and his well-preserved Headquarters, and not much else.
Author’s own photograph
Then we’ll show him the George Washington Bridge–I’m sure he’d be really impressed by that!
Very interesting photos of the town my grandmother lived in (on South Street, near 287).
I spent many summer days, as a kid, biking around the Green, etc back in the 70’s and early 80’s.
Morristown has really grown up! Thanks for all the photos and the flood of memories!
Aside from all my visits to corporate HQ on Columbia Rd., two of my visits stand out in my memories of Morristown.
One time I stayed at a corporate owned property in the country. It was simply called, “The Farm”. There was a bowling alley in the basement, and it was a huge mansion. There was a name of the place, I think derived from an early iteration of the corporation. It escapes me now, (Solvay?) but the place was a beautiful 19th century mansion.
Another visit took me downtown to an Irish restaurant as I recall, for a fabulous dinner of corned beef and cabbage. This was about ten years ago. Very enjoyable.
Lots of nearby food and drink establishments around here have also bricked up their ground-floor windows, supposedly to deter crime and shoplifting by not having an easiliy penetrable facade to crash through. Those that do have windows keep them up high, as with recently-built Lidl stores.
You have Lidl in the USA?! Well maybe I should not be surprised given that you had Aldi (Hofer here in Austria) for a number of years… Here Lidl is on the bottom rung of such stores, there’s really only Penny Markt which I suppose is the Austrian Dollar General. Lidl has limited choice but is cheaper than most and with some good quality on some of the products. I assume the same applies to the US – or maybe not.
Over here in Germany, ALDI attracts discounter shoppers of I.Q.s. higher than the rest.
We have what’s called a Penny Markt. It’s often nicknamed “Penner Markt” for plausibel reasons.
I boycott Netto, because the clerk sitting at the cash register refused to cash in my deposit bottle and can voucher collected the previous year, in January of the following year.
LIDL takes the crown for product deception. When you analyse their pricing, they are mostly more expensive than ALDI. They attract the highest percentage of Cosmopolitan shoppers, also. They and their parent chain supermarket (Kaufland) are masters of shrinkflation. The following spices were before and afters bought at Kaufland. The Anchovy glass was purchased at LIDL. Upon opening the jar, its true contents were lining the jar only, while the rest was oil-filled
They opened up stateside about 6 years ago and now have about 150 store here, all on the east coast for now. And I was clearly confusing them with someone else when I said all their windows were up high, because most of their local stores look like the one in this photo and are hugely glassy (and much more upscale-looking than they really are). Much like Ikea, they thrive by appealing both to those who can’t afford to shop at traditional stores, and to those attracted by the generally high quality items, small store size/fast checkout, gourmet foods at affordable prices, and a rotating selection of housewares, tools, clothing, auto parts, furniture, even musical instruments that change every week.
Nonetheless they show how even large companies (10,000+ stores worldwide) can make obvious mistakes. As with their European stores, they prominently signed their stores with their distinctive round logo. In Germany or the UK that’s enough; people know what Lidl is just like they know what McDonalds is. They forgot though that in the U.S., nobody had heard of Lidl and people looking for cheap eats drove right past it thinking it was an auto parts store or some such. After a few years of this they finally put up signs that say “Food Market” next to the big logo.
Terrific collection! And I enjoyed your own photos as much as the Historical Society’s pictures.
My sister used to live about 10 mi. west of Morristown – before that, I’d never been to Morris County. I found Morristown and many of the surrounding towns to be great places – far from the stereotype that most folks think of with North Jersey.
A few random comments:
Regarding the theater site, I can maybe shed some light regarding the pear trees and lamp posts. Those Bradford Pear trees were planted extensively in the 1970s & ’80s because they’re hardy, fast-growing and they’re pretty when flowering. However, they were prone to storm damage, and became almost invasive after a while. They soon became the scourge of many municipalities and HOAs that planted tons of them. Many have since been removed, and the species is now frowned upon. The lamp posts I’m not so sure about, but decorative lamp posts were popular in the 1980s, but later on jurisdictions realized that many of them didn’t throw sufficient light, and when it came time to maintain or replace those lights (especially with gas lights), many places just removed them instead. But sadly, the current “little park” looks pretty uninviting now, as a result.
Bamberger’s: I haven’t thought about that store in a long time. That and Wanamakers were my family’s go-to stores in the 1970s.
Morristown’s commercial district looks much better preserved than many places. Too bad so much of the residential architectural history has been lost. I love your pictures of the old houses. I remember exploring the inside of a big abandoned house near me when I was a kid, and it was really thrilling. Didn’t tell anyone though.
I guess Town Talk Ice Cream was a big deal if Gold’s building had a marquee sign advertising it, and also posters in the window. I’ve never heard of Town Talk before.
Yes, you’re correct on the Bradford pears. They grow fast but have a weak structure, especially if they’re not professionally pruned. We learned the hard way — all of ours (planted in the 90s) except one were destroyed by high winds or storms. The one that remained we had taken down, having learned our lesson. The blossoms in spring though were quite stunning.
We had Town Talk bread in Pittsburgh when I was growing up (1950s-60s). I don’t recall any ice cream with that label.
…what I would call “useful” stores like hardware stores, low-end antique shops, and places that repaired and rebuilt auto radiators–even the pig store is gone.
I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment of what’s happened to “useful” stores. In my area, all of those places have been turned into coffee shops (Starbucks at the high end, and Dunkin’s at the low end) and banks. Banks, banks, and more banks. Something I can’t understand since when was the last time any regular person actually went INSIDE of a bank? I always figured that this was one good thing about 21st century technology and the cashless economy…no one would ever have to physically go into one of those wretched places again. And yet, they seem to be sprouting up like weeds everywhere. I don’t get it.
The Pig Store reminds me of the (fictional) Satriale’s Pork Store from the Sopranos. Maybe you were better off not knowing what sort of business went on in there.
I think the trend to building bank branches has slowed considerably over the past decade.
In the early 2000s, banks built a ridiculous number of branches, like you said, in contradiction to the number of customers who actually conducted in-person business there. The thinking was that the building and real estate basically served as advertising – and that customers would generally feel more confident about banks that had numerous local branches. Banks got carried away with it though, and overbuilt. I haven’t seen very many new bank branches built in the past several years.
Beautiful work Stephen. Remarkable, how much has been saved. Given how much dramatic change has occurred. You are doing amazing work, documenting New Jersey’s history, future generations will really appreciate.
Your Cadillac looked fantastic in front of Alnwick Hall.
Terrific meaty article! I love Then And Nows and there is so much here.
My grandfather grew up on a farm near Morristown. The article jogged my memory because I had not thought about that in years and remembered part way through the article. When I knew my grandparents they had been living in Indiana for decades and had no family left in New Jersey. His brother had a dean at a small college in that area in the 40s, which I know because I remember a witty letter in a photo album from my great uncle on official letterhead written to my mom welcoming her to the world on the auspicious occasion of her birth (in care of my grandparents). It was something like Morris Junior College, but I can’t find any evidence of such a place on the internet.
A few thoughts on pictures:
The Civil War veterans look remarkably well preserved for 65 years after the war.
Race St was in the black section of town? Is that a coincidence (like named after Mr. Race) or was it racially named? It’s not surprising they changed the name!
Madison Ave. must have been really grand in its day, which made it all the more sad by the time of its decrepitude when you photographed derelicts in the 80s. At least it’s not so sad now after the tear downs, but also lacking much grandeur.
So glad The Grove survived and was restored respectfully.
A fantastic backdrop for the Cadillac indeed
I like the “re-muddle” term. I’ve never heard it, but it perfectly describes the improved condition, but loss of character of those homes.
The Sip and Sup was so much more charismatic than Wendys, undoubtedly better food, too.
Greystone Park Hospital was quite a large facility! It must have served the whole state. I’m of the opinion we need more psychiatric inpatient capacity these days along with more liberal use of commitment (while avoiding abuses of the system seen at places like Greystone in its day). Perhaps the grand old building was too far gone, but how about a new facility on that giant piece of empty state land?
I’m impressed Golds still at least has the name, even if the building and its wares bear so little resemblance to the gorgeous 50s establishment. I wouldn’t even think it was the same building except the door looks like it might be the exact same one.
Race Street in this case referred to a waterway. A waterway is a “race”. (Race Street runs next to the Whippany River.) Around 1910, the neighborhood was largely Italian, and Italians built some of the streets which had names like Marinaro Street and Garibaldi Street. Urban renewal wiped all of those streets out. To my knowledge, that neighborhood is now almost 100% black.
There is a new Greystone facility a little ways from the site of the old one. Like most modern institutional architecture, it’s clean and new but lacks the charm and grandeur of the old Greystone. Picture below:
Street name history is fascinating. I recall reading that Race Street in Philadelphia was so named because that was a stretch of road where people raced horses in the City’s early days.
I never knew that about Race St. in Philadelphia. For decades my grandfather made his living in a family-owned manufacturing business, The J. E. Lonergan Co., which was located at 2nd & Race Streets in center city.
Eric703
Posted January 6, 2024 at 10:11 AM
Interestingly enough, my own grandfather had a small textile wholesaling business about three blocks from there, at 3rd & Market Sts.
If that neighborhood had instead become afluent, culture-canceling monument topplers likely would not have initiated taxpayer-funded expensive streetsign- replacement and map-redrawing.
Over here in Germany, this has become a McCarthy level witch hunt
They may be mobile gas pumps – they look mighty similar to the example below. I’ve seen variations of this type of pump in old pictures before, but I have no idea how the process worked (I assume the shop had a large gas tank somewhere inaccessible to the public, and staff would frequently fill the mobile tanks?)
What a great history! I also enjoy “then and now” photographs even when the “now” brings tears to my eyes. Your commentary is much appreciated as are the comments of our fellow CC’ers. Too much “Yellow Taxi” as sung by Joni Mitchell. Oft when I pass through a city unknown to me, I look at the architecture and wonder what has been destroyed when I see modernity that is bland. As always, love your Caddy.
That Pontiac Tempest in the first photo, with its MY 1962-only front clip, gives me a pretty good idea of when’s the earliest the photo could have been taken.
I was admiring that “Pontiac”. It’s my fav version of that shared body style. In the “92” pic with “70’s cars” driving along; amazing to me as “NJ” has rather rough winters. At least it did in those days.
Man, I can see why they tore down that Greystone hospital. I know the lighting and cloudy background looks menacing, but that facade has such a grim look about it; befitting some infamous reform school or even a prison.
I love the way those old cities and towns along the eastern seaboard have streets that seem to have been built in almost random directions. And I love the old photos. The Victorian stuff almost everywhere seems to have been a victim of being too new to interest the historic crowd who focused on the colonial era, but too old to be valued by the people who were into growth and development from the 1920’s on forward.
The individual neighborhoods in an old city like New York or Boston started as independent villages. If you wanted to connect two villages, you built a road in a more or less straight line between them. If the road was at a 19-, 26-, or 53-degree angle to a horizontal line on the map, so be it. There’s a joke that Boston was laid out along 17th-century cowpaths, so to drive in Boston you should think like a 17th-century cow.
”I hope that car coming down the hill can stop” : Blurry third pic but it looks more like a horse pulling a cart and in this case we hope that they will hear their obligatory bell if the horse loses its footing , slide and no longer emits a trot.
I’d love to explore the basements of the existing early 1900’s buildings now, especially the tire shop. I’m sure there are many treasures to be found. Back 30 years ago as a rep for Elizabethtown Gas I found myself in many the cellars that vintage in downtown Westfield. My best find was an enamel MILLER TIRE sign from 20’s that hangs in my garage to this day. It had been tossed aside under a pile of old flooring and rotted wood. No way to tell that the building had been a service station 70 years before as it housed a dentist!
Too much historic NJ has been lost, thanks for reminding us and keeping it alive.
The pig sign was a butcher called “Hoeffners”. They made their own baloney and smoked their own bacon. It was a family owned shop. Right across the street from MacDonald’s Pontiac, on Market Street right where it joins up with Bank Street
OMG, what a fantastic collection of pictures and notes capturing some of the history of our once lovely town. I just loved them and thank you so much for sharing this delightful collage.
Thanks so much for the delightful local history lesson. My husband and I have lived in Morristown for over 40 years..
Our house was built 76 yrs. ago within the gardens of the Humphries’ estate, Ridgewood Hall. Would you have any info about It? It’s fieldstone walls and fountain are still intact.
Any pictures of community lumber. It was right next to morris county mall . You had to make left at light right after you passed mall and it was on left. Yellow building
Very interesting photos of the town my grandmother lived in (on South Street, near 287).
I spent many summer days, as a kid, biking around the Green, etc back in the 70’s and early 80’s.
Morristown has really grown up! Thanks for all the photos and the flood of memories!
Aside from all my visits to corporate HQ on Columbia Rd., two of my visits stand out in my memories of Morristown.
One time I stayed at a corporate owned property in the country. It was simply called, “The Farm”. There was a bowling alley in the basement, and it was a huge mansion. There was a name of the place, I think derived from an early iteration of the corporation. It escapes me now, (Solvay?) but the place was a beautiful 19th century mansion.
Another visit took me downtown to an Irish restaurant as I recall, for a fabulous dinner of corned beef and cabbage. This was about ten years ago. Very enjoyable.
Thanks for these pics.
Lots of nearby food and drink establishments around here have also bricked up their ground-floor windows, supposedly to deter crime and shoplifting by not having an easiliy penetrable facade to crash through. Those that do have windows keep them up high, as with recently-built Lidl stores.
You have Lidl in the USA?! Well maybe I should not be surprised given that you had Aldi (Hofer here in Austria) for a number of years… Here Lidl is on the bottom rung of such stores, there’s really only Penny Markt which I suppose is the Austrian Dollar General. Lidl has limited choice but is cheaper than most and with some good quality on some of the products. I assume the same applies to the US – or maybe not.
Over here in Germany, ALDI attracts discounter shoppers of I.Q.s. higher than the rest.
We have what’s called a Penny Markt. It’s often nicknamed “Penner Markt” for plausibel reasons.
I boycott Netto, because the clerk sitting at the cash register refused to cash in my deposit bottle and can voucher collected the previous year, in January of the following year.
LIDL takes the crown for product deception. When you analyse their pricing, they are mostly more expensive than ALDI. They attract the highest percentage of Cosmopolitan shoppers, also. They and their parent chain supermarket (Kaufland) are masters of shrinkflation. The following spices were before and afters bought at Kaufland. The Anchovy glass was purchased at LIDL. Upon opening the jar, its true contents were lining the jar only, while the rest was oil-filled
What happened to the other image upload?
> You have Lidl in the USA?!
They opened up stateside about 6 years ago and now have about 150 store here, all on the east coast for now. And I was clearly confusing them with someone else when I said all their windows were up high, because most of their local stores look like the one in this photo and are hugely glassy (and much more upscale-looking than they really are). Much like Ikea, they thrive by appealing both to those who can’t afford to shop at traditional stores, and to those attracted by the generally high quality items, small store size/fast checkout, gourmet foods at affordable prices, and a rotating selection of housewares, tools, clothing, auto parts, furniture, even musical instruments that change every week.
Nonetheless they show how even large companies (10,000+ stores worldwide) can make obvious mistakes. As with their European stores, they prominently signed their stores with their distinctive round logo. In Germany or the UK that’s enough; people know what Lidl is just like they know what McDonalds is. They forgot though that in the U.S., nobody had heard of Lidl and people looking for cheap eats drove right past it thinking it was an auto parts store or some such. After a few years of this they finally put up signs that say “Food Market” next to the big logo.
I wonder what ole George would think about NY charging Semi trucks $135 to cross his bridge?
Such lovely photos .
I too miss the beautiful Victorian buildings that dotted New England long go, in the 1960’s they were just “old buildings” and most were torn down .
-Nate
Fun viewing, thanks……
Terrific collection! And I enjoyed your own photos as much as the Historical Society’s pictures.
My sister used to live about 10 mi. west of Morristown – before that, I’d never been to Morris County. I found Morristown and many of the surrounding towns to be great places – far from the stereotype that most folks think of with North Jersey.
A few random comments:
Regarding the theater site, I can maybe shed some light regarding the pear trees and lamp posts. Those Bradford Pear trees were planted extensively in the 1970s & ’80s because they’re hardy, fast-growing and they’re pretty when flowering. However, they were prone to storm damage, and became almost invasive after a while. They soon became the scourge of many municipalities and HOAs that planted tons of them. Many have since been removed, and the species is now frowned upon. The lamp posts I’m not so sure about, but decorative lamp posts were popular in the 1980s, but later on jurisdictions realized that many of them didn’t throw sufficient light, and when it came time to maintain or replace those lights (especially with gas lights), many places just removed them instead. But sadly, the current “little park” looks pretty uninviting now, as a result.
Bamberger’s: I haven’t thought about that store in a long time. That and Wanamakers were my family’s go-to stores in the 1970s.
Morristown’s commercial district looks much better preserved than many places. Too bad so much of the residential architectural history has been lost. I love your pictures of the old houses. I remember exploring the inside of a big abandoned house near me when I was a kid, and it was really thrilling. Didn’t tell anyone though.
I guess Town Talk Ice Cream was a big deal if Gold’s building had a marquee sign advertising it, and also posters in the window. I’ve never heard of Town Talk before.
Yes, you’re correct on the Bradford pears. They grow fast but have a weak structure, especially if they’re not professionally pruned. We learned the hard way — all of ours (planted in the 90s) except one were destroyed by high winds or storms. The one that remained we had taken down, having learned our lesson. The blossoms in spring though were quite stunning.
We had Town Talk bread in Pittsburgh when I was growing up (1950s-60s). I don’t recall any ice cream with that label.
I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment of what’s happened to “useful” stores. In my area, all of those places have been turned into coffee shops (Starbucks at the high end, and Dunkin’s at the low end) and banks. Banks, banks, and more banks. Something I can’t understand since when was the last time any regular person actually went INSIDE of a bank? I always figured that this was one good thing about 21st century technology and the cashless economy…no one would ever have to physically go into one of those wretched places again. And yet, they seem to be sprouting up like weeds everywhere. I don’t get it.
The Pig Store reminds me of the (fictional) Satriale’s Pork Store from the Sopranos. Maybe you were better off not knowing what sort of business went on in there.
I think the trend to building bank branches has slowed considerably over the past decade.
In the early 2000s, banks built a ridiculous number of branches, like you said, in contradiction to the number of customers who actually conducted in-person business there. The thinking was that the building and real estate basically served as advertising – and that customers would generally feel more confident about banks that had numerous local branches. Banks got carried away with it though, and overbuilt. I haven’t seen very many new bank branches built in the past several years.
I’ve seen a growing number of them close up here. Wells Fargo just shut their main downtown building. The trend is very much the other way now.
Beautiful work Stephen. Remarkable, how much has been saved. Given how much dramatic change has occurred. You are doing amazing work, documenting New Jersey’s history, future generations will really appreciate.
Your Cadillac looked fantastic in front of Alnwick Hall.
Terrific meaty article! I love Then And Nows and there is so much here.
My grandfather grew up on a farm near Morristown. The article jogged my memory because I had not thought about that in years and remembered part way through the article. When I knew my grandparents they had been living in Indiana for decades and had no family left in New Jersey. His brother had a dean at a small college in that area in the 40s, which I know because I remember a witty letter in a photo album from my great uncle on official letterhead written to my mom welcoming her to the world on the auspicious occasion of her birth (in care of my grandparents). It was something like Morris Junior College, but I can’t find any evidence of such a place on the internet.
A few thoughts on pictures:
The Civil War veterans look remarkably well preserved for 65 years after the war.
Race St was in the black section of town? Is that a coincidence (like named after Mr. Race) or was it racially named? It’s not surprising they changed the name!
Madison Ave. must have been really grand in its day, which made it all the more sad by the time of its decrepitude when you photographed derelicts in the 80s. At least it’s not so sad now after the tear downs, but also lacking much grandeur.
So glad The Grove survived and was restored respectfully.
A fantastic backdrop for the Cadillac indeed
I like the “re-muddle” term. I’ve never heard it, but it perfectly describes the improved condition, but loss of character of those homes.
The Sip and Sup was so much more charismatic than Wendys, undoubtedly better food, too.
Greystone Park Hospital was quite a large facility! It must have served the whole state. I’m of the opinion we need more psychiatric inpatient capacity these days along with more liberal use of commitment (while avoiding abuses of the system seen at places like Greystone in its day). Perhaps the grand old building was too far gone, but how about a new facility on that giant piece of empty state land?
I’m impressed Golds still at least has the name, even if the building and its wares bear so little resemblance to the gorgeous 50s establishment. I wouldn’t even think it was the same building except the door looks like it might be the exact same one.
Thanks for this interesting history!
Race Street in this case referred to a waterway. A waterway is a “race”. (Race Street runs next to the Whippany River.) Around 1910, the neighborhood was largely Italian, and Italians built some of the streets which had names like Marinaro Street and Garibaldi Street. Urban renewal wiped all of those streets out. To my knowledge, that neighborhood is now almost 100% black.
There is a new Greystone facility a little ways from the site of the old one. Like most modern institutional architecture, it’s clean and new but lacks the charm and grandeur of the old Greystone. Picture below:
Street name history is fascinating. I recall reading that Race Street in Philadelphia was so named because that was a stretch of road where people raced horses in the City’s early days.
I never knew that about Race St. in Philadelphia. For decades my grandfather made his living in a family-owned manufacturing business, The J. E. Lonergan Co., which was located at 2nd & Race Streets in center city.
Interestingly enough, my own grandfather had a small textile wholesaling business about three blocks from there, at 3rd & Market Sts.
If that neighborhood had instead become afluent, culture-canceling monument topplers likely would not have initiated taxpayer-funded expensive streetsign- replacement and map-redrawing.
Over here in Germany, this has become a McCarthy level witch hunt
Wonderful article by an insider who KNOWS the place.
What are those mysterious carts in front of the Goodrich tire store? Lunch wagons? Fire apparatus?
Mobile tire pumps?
They may be mobile gas pumps – they look mighty similar to the example below. I’ve seen variations of this type of pump in old pictures before, but I have no idea how the process worked (I assume the shop had a large gas tank somewhere inaccessible to the public, and staff would frequently fill the mobile tanks?)
I found the image below on the Barrett-Jackson Auction site, but there’s other photos online:
https://www.barrett-jackson.com/Events/Event/Details/Beautifully-restored-1920s-Gilmore-Gasoline-filling-station-gas-cart-178914
What a great history! I also enjoy “then and now” photographs even when the “now” brings tears to my eyes. Your commentary is much appreciated as are the comments of our fellow CC’ers. Too much “Yellow Taxi” as sung by Joni Mitchell. Oft when I pass through a city unknown to me, I look at the architecture and wonder what has been destroyed when I see modernity that is bland. As always, love your Caddy.
That Pontiac Tempest in the first photo, with its MY 1962-only front clip, gives me a pretty good idea of when’s the earliest the photo could have been taken.
I was admiring that “Pontiac”. It’s my fav version of that shared body style. In the “92” pic with “70’s cars” driving along; amazing to me as “NJ” has rather rough winters. At least it did in those days.
Man, I can see why they tore down that Greystone hospital. I know the lighting and cloudy background looks menacing, but that facade has such a grim look about it; befitting some infamous reform school or even a prison.
I love the way those old cities and towns along the eastern seaboard have streets that seem to have been built in almost random directions. And I love the old photos. The Victorian stuff almost everywhere seems to have been a victim of being too new to interest the historic crowd who focused on the colonial era, but too old to be valued by the people who were into growth and development from the 1920’s on forward.
The individual neighborhoods in an old city like New York or Boston started as independent villages. If you wanted to connect two villages, you built a road in a more or less straight line between them. If the road was at a 19-, 26-, or 53-degree angle to a horizontal line on the map, so be it. There’s a joke that Boston was laid out along 17th-century cowpaths, so to drive in Boston you should think like a 17th-century cow.
”I hope that car coming down the hill can stop” : Blurry third pic but it looks more like a horse pulling a cart and in this case we hope that they will hear their obligatory bell if the horse loses its footing , slide and no longer emits a trot.
I’d love to explore the basements of the existing early 1900’s buildings now, especially the tire shop. I’m sure there are many treasures to be found. Back 30 years ago as a rep for Elizabethtown Gas I found myself in many the cellars that vintage in downtown Westfield. My best find was an enamel MILLER TIRE sign from 20’s that hangs in my garage to this day. It had been tossed aside under a pile of old flooring and rotted wood. No way to tell that the building had been a service station 70 years before as it housed a dentist!
Too much historic NJ has been lost, thanks for reminding us and keeping it alive.
The pig sign was a butcher called “Hoeffners”. They made their own baloney and smoked their own bacon. It was a family owned shop. Right across the street from MacDonald’s Pontiac, on Market Street right where it joins up with Bank Street
OMG, what a fantastic collection of pictures and notes capturing some of the history of our once lovely town. I just loved them and thank you so much for sharing this delightful collage.
Another street sign survived
Sorry, for some reason I can’t attach photo
Try reducing the image size. If the image is a max of 1,200 pixels in the bigger dimension, it’ll attach here.
Thanks so much for the delightful local history lesson. My husband and I have lived in Morristown for over 40 years..
Our house was built 76 yrs. ago within the gardens of the Humphries’ estate, Ridgewood Hall. Would you have any info about It? It’s fieldstone walls and fountain are still intact.
From the book “Postcard History Series: Morristown”:
From the book “Mansions of Morris County”:
Thank you, thank you. Memories of where I grew up. I also remember the peanut man .
Any pictures of community lumber. It was right next to morris county mall . You had to make left at light right after you passed mall and it was on left. Yellow building