Morristown: A Walk Through History

Today I had the pleasure of speaking at the Morristown Book Festival, a wonderful event featuring various contemporary authors. I was delighted to speak to a large gathering assembled at the historic St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. It was an impressive venue that made you feel almost ministerial in addressing the congregation. I also enjoyed meeting some of our blog contingent at the book signing for The Indispensable Right.

It was a thrill to be back in Morristown, a town heavily steeped in history at every turn.  I hope that some members of our blog community might take the time to visit this beautiful city and particularly the book festival.

St. Peter’s is a magnificent building erected in 1827, though the congregation can be traced back to the mid eighteenth century.

I was particularly drawn to the 100-year-old E.M. Skinner organ. It was actually designed by G. Donald Harrison who worked at Skinner and it is still working beautifully, including its manual pedal levels at the feet of an organist.

Morristown itself is simply a delight with beautiful green, wonderful restaurants and tons of history.

The Green has a statue showing the meeting of Washington, Hamilton, and Lafayette when the Frenchman informed Washington that France was entering the war on the side of the patriots. (Supposedly the statue shows the actual height of the three heroes of the Revolution). The Green was also used for public executions.

This is a city that saw some hard times and fighting. While Washington had previously visited the town, it was here in 1777 that Washington encamped after the victories at Trenton and Princeton. Situated between Philadelphia and New York, the town was strategically located. From December 1779 to June 1780, the Continental Army’s second encampment at Morristown faced brutal winter conditions. The combination of starvation and lack of pay would ultimately lead the entire Pennsylvania contingent to successfully mutiny. A later effort of New Jersey soldiers to mutiny was foiled.  

I enjoyed meeting with everyone in Morristown and then having a wonderful breakfast on the edge of the Green. On a perfect fall day, it was easy to imagine the town back in the 1700s when the future of this nation was dangling in the balance. While it may not be a top destination for tourists, Morristown is worth the visit. In the Fall, the town and the surroundings are spellbinding.

Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University and the author of “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage.”