history
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Historians Office
Town of Morristown Debbie M. Murray PO Box 240 604 Main Street Morristown, NY 13664 Email: historian@townofmorristownny.org Phone: (315) 375-6560 Fax: (315) 375-4723 
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Morristown became an organized Township in March of 1821. Its economy had been based on naval stores and Morristown was the site for a War of 1812 Battle of the schooners the USS Julia, and the HMS Earl of Moira, on July 31, 1812. It has a beautiful stone windmill that was erected in 1828 to grind grain. The area on which Morristown is situated was originally purchased by Alexander Macomb but later sold to his attorney, Gouverneur Morris, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, from whom Morristown gets its name. The first settlers came from New Jersey and Vermont, as well as a large group of British settlers who came in 1818. In the 1820's a large group came to settle here from the Mohawk Valley.
One of Morristown's most significant industries was the manufacture of Dr. Morris's Indian Root Pills, a 19th century cure all. This began in April of 1867. Morristown boasted a large hotel, cheese factories, boat builders, fire extinguisher and graphite manufacturers, all of which have passed into history. Rich farmland and the majestic St. Lawrence River have remained the two main constants throughout the history of Morristown. |