Happy Birthday Morris County!!!

Published on March 15, 2022

Morris County was born 283 years ago today – or was it before that?

It’s not that the centuries have made us forgetful.  It’s a matter of which calendar you use and in what part of the world you live.

It was 1752 when England and its colonies, including New Jersey, switched from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar, moving our official birthday to March 15, 1739 from 1738.

Regardless, history records that Morris County was created by an act of the State Legislature on March 15, 1738/39, separating it from Hunterdon County, one of the state’s largest counties of the period. Named after Colonel Lewis Morris, then Governor of the Province of New Jersey, it originally included what are now the counties of Morris, Sussex and Warren.

We invite you to learn more about our history:

Check out online exhibits from the Morris County Heritage Commission about exceptional women in Morris County history, and our courthouse, homes, and cultural center: https://www.morriscountynj.gov/…/Heritage-Commissi…/Exhibits

Visit historic sites across the county: https://www.morriscountynj.gov/…/Heritage-…/Historic-Markers

Read about the history of our veterans, miners, and railroaders: https://www.morriscountynj.gov/…/…/Cultural-Resources-Survey

Learn about our Coat of Arms: https://www.morriscountynj.gov/…/The-Coat-of-Arms-of-Morris…