Morris County Historical Walking Tours– 2013

The Morris County Tourism Bureau (MCTB) welcomes you to join them again for the annual walking tour series. Experience the rich history Morris County has to offer with a knowledgeable guide. Tours are offered during July and the early part of August on Saturday mornings at 10:00 a.m. and last approximately 90 minutes.  Tickets are $12 each.  Please mail your pre-payment to MCTB, 6 Court Street, Morristown, New Jersey 07960 to hold your reservation.  All tours except Denville and the Seeing Eye begin at 6 Court Street.
 
The Seeing Eye’s Guide Dog Training Program:  Up Close
Saturday July 13
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 their in-town training center, we’ll pass sites important to the history of the organization and visit the J. Seward Johnson’s statue of Morris and Buddy for a photo op.
 
Secrets and Lore of Gilded Age Morristown
Saturday July 20
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 developed into one of the nation’s most prestigious summer enclaves during the Gilded Age (1895-1929), the new “summer cottages” changed the character of Morristown’s landscape and the local social scene.  Walk by beautifully restored Victorian homes and hear the stories of wayward livestock, eccentric tycoons and their wacky exploits.
 
Happy 100th Birthday, Denville
Saturday July 27
Join a local historian for a walking tour through three centuries of Denville history.  From its humble beginnings as a small forge community on the Rockaway River  through recent catastrophic storms, Denville’s downtown has been resilient.  Learn how Denville was transformed from a rest stop along the old turnpike into a chic business district with a popular New York-style nightclub and state-of-the-art movie theater, the first in New Jersey built exclusively for sound.  Walk in the footsteps of governors, presidents, and other renowned figures like Thomas Edison, who made their way to Denville.  Hear about the antics at legendary landmarks like the Denville Shack, Wayside Inn, and at numerous street festivals along Denville’s Broadway since 1929.    
 
The Trial of the (19th) Century:  Antoine LeBlanc
Saturday August 3
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 shocked the entire state and resulted in LeBlanc’s execution by hanging on the Morristown Green. 
 
 
Thomas Nast’s Morristown (1872-1902)       NEW!
Saturday August 10
Thomas Nast was one of the most famous people ever to live in Morristown.  America’s most innovative and popular political cartoonist, and the designer of the Democratic donkey, Republican elephant, Columbia, Uncle Sam, the Tammany Tiger, Nast is most beloved for his image of our modern-day Santa Claus. When Nast’s cartoons brought down New York City’s Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall, death threats forced him to move his family to swank Morristown.  

We’ll visit the restored Independent Hose firehouse on Market Street where Nast was an honorary member for 30 years. Next, we’ll stop by Thomas Nast’s gracious c. 1865 Macculloch Avenue home, a national historic landmark, and conclude at the Morristown library to see examples of Nast’s artwork and artifacts associated with his time in Morristown.

For more things to see and do in Morris County visit www.morristourism.org.
 

Contact Information

Deidre Schunk

Information Manager

Morris County Tourism Bureau

(1) 973-631-5151

dschunk@morristourism.org