Morristown

How Morristown began

Morristown was platted in 1802 in Union Township, named for pioneer settler Duncan Morrison, and got its own post office in 1807. Its fortunes rose with the National Road, which became the village's Main Street after 1826 and drew more than forty road-related businesses by the 1850s; when the railroads built through eastern Ohio in that decade bypassed the village, it lost most of its commerce. Its mid-nineteenth-century buildings survive largely intact, and the 42-acre Morristown Historic District, 70 of its 86 buildings contributing, mostly vernacular Flemish-bond brick in Greek Revival and Gothic Revival styles, was listed on the National Register in 1980. The village counted 456 residents in 1850 and 463 in 1980, and has under 250 today.

Platted 1802, by named for Duncan Morrison.

Where the name comes from

Named for Duncan Morrison, a pioneer settler; historically also rendered 'Morris Town.'

Before the town

No Native village, camp, or trail specific to Morristown is recorded here.

Timeline

1. 1802 — Morristown is platted, named for pioneer settler Duncan Morrison.
2. 1803 — Duncan Morrison, the founder, kept the first tavern, in a one-story log house; he was also a justice of the peace and militia major.
3. 1807 — A post office called Morristown begins operating.
4. 1807 — F. Cumming, touring Belmont County, found Morristown in a hustle after a militia muster for a possible war with Britain, with the country people drinking and fighting and Squire Morrison, trying to keep the peace, getting his clothes torn in a fray.
5. 1809 — Methodists held the first camp meeting in the township and the second in the county, drawing great crowds for its novelty.
6. 1824-09-25 — The Presbyterian Church of Morristown was organized at Dr. Alexander Gaston's house, building a brick church in 1828 and a larger one in 1848 for $1,400.
7. 1826 — The National Road becomes Morristown's main thoroughfare, running through the village as Main Street.
8. 1827 — The Methodist Episcopal society was organized by Rev. John McPherson, building its first church in 1835.
9. 1850 — The census counts 456 residents, a figure the village does not exceed until 463 in 1980.
10. 1850s — More than forty National Road-related businesses operate in Morristown at the decade's height, shortly before railroads begin bypassing the village and slowing its growth.
11. 1853-01-07 — The town was incorporated and Peter Bramhill was elected the first mayor, with Joseph R. Mitchell as clerk and Stephen Gregg as treasurer.
12. 1861 — The Christian Church of Morristown was established, as an offshoot of the Auburn Church, in a building put up under R. B. Atkinson's committee.
13. 1880 — The census counted 434 residents.
14. 1900 — The census counted 350 residents; the 1910 count of 280 was the village's lowest.
15. 1980 — The 42-acre Morristown Historic District, covering 86 buildings along Church, Main, and the Cross Streets, 70 of them contributing, is added to the National Register of Historic Places.
16. 2020 — The census counted 248 residents.

Stories

Preserved by being passed over

Morristown owed its first boom to the National Road, which became the village's Main Street in 1826: more than forty businesses tied to road traffic were operating there by the 1850s. In that decade railroads were built through eastern Ohio but none served Morristown, and the village lost most of its commerce. Because the village never grew enough to rebuild its mid-nineteenth-century core, its vernacular brick buildings in Greek Revival and Gothic Revival styles, laid in Flemish bond, survived largely intact. Wikipedia notes that this brick construction sets Morristown apart from surrounding communities, which have few historic brick buildings. The 42-acre Morristown Historic District was added to the National Register in 1980.

The militia muster at Morristown

In 1807, with war with Britain much talked of, the Belmont County militia mustered at Morristown to volunteer or be drafted. F. Cumming, an English traveler, met more than fifty horsemen with rifles on the road, most of them above half seas over, singing, swearing, quarreling and laughing as their natures led them. When he reached Morristown just before dark he found it all in a hustle, many of the country people staying late to drink and fight. His host Morrison, a justice of the peace and major of the militia, had shut his house against the crowd, but at the other tavern Squire Morrison, trying to keep the peace in a fray, came in for his share of the blows and had his clothes torn. The village on the National Road had by then a tavern every two miles along the way.

Photographs

Local history sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · commons.wikimedia.org · archive.org

A well in the Ohio River valley (alluvial) aquifer serving the St. Clairsville-area system The water here

• Morristown Public Water System97% of residentsOhio River valley aquifer (wells)
• Bethesda Public Water System3% of residentsOhio River valley aquifer (wells)

Fire and EMS stations (1)

Museums, historical societies, gardens and zoos (1)

Spills reported since 2021 (1)

Ballot issues

Elections for office

Winners in bold. Results from the county board of elections' official canvass unless marked.

Auditor of State record

• No fiscal caution, watch or emergency on the Auditor of State's lists.
• Agreed Upon Procedures, 2023 to 2024, released 2025-09-23

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