2011 Summer Tour Series will Resume in June

Below is a recap of the 2010 to give you a sample of the line up for 2011.

 

Historical Walking Tours 2010

Walk with us and experience the rich history Morris County has to offer. Through June, July and August tours will be offered Saturday morning at 10:00 am and will last approximately 1 ½ hours. Tickets are $10, children 6 and under are free.

 

Morristown in Three Centuries –
Led by Carol Barkin, Mark Texel, & Al MacLennan

This historic Morristown walking tour covers nearly a mile within Morristown’s historic district. Over three hundred years of Morristown history is covered from its earliest beginnings at the Presbyterian Church of Morristown through the Industrial Revolution and to the flamboyant Gilded Age. The Vail Mansion, Macculloch Hall, and the Thomas Nast House are among the sites that are discussed. Carol Barkin is a docent for the Morris County Tourism Bureau and a member of the Morris Township Historic Preservation Commission.

 

Mark Texel is the Director of the Morris County Park Commission’s Historic Sites Division in Morristown, NJ. He is a trustee of the Washington Valley Association and lives in a ca. 1920s farmhouse in Morris Township.

 

Al MacLennan is an experienced hiker and heritage tour guide

Tour starts at 6 Court Street, Morristown & group size is limited to 25.

 

Trial of the (19th) Century: Antoine LeBlanc –
Led by Judge Kenneth C. MacKenzie

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 trial shocked the entire state and resulted in LeBlanc’s execution by hanging on the Morristown Green. The tour is conducted by Honorable Kenneth C. MacKenzie, retired Judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey, historian, and member of the Board of Trustees of Historic Speedwell.

Tour starts at 6 Court St. Morristown

 

Green to the Green
Led by Carol Barkin and Cynthia Evans of the Dodge Foundation

 

The past, present and future of “green space” will be discussed as we visit two sites important to Morristown. The Green, the most distinguishing feature of Morristown, has been central to the town’s life since 1715. This will be an in-depth look at how it developed, from its beginning as common pasture ground to its 2007 million-dollar renovation. The tour will then move to 14 Maple Avenue, the greenest office building in Morristown according to LEED standards. Learn about Morristown’s future and sustainable building practices, an area of intense interest by the Dodge Foundation. This is a unique opportunity to tour the building which features solar panels, a rooftop vegetative garden, geothermal wells, recycled building materials and the largest “bio-wall” in North America.

 

Legends of Mendham’s Past –
Led by Charles Topping

We are pleased to offer an insightful tour of Mendham Borough, with Charles Topping, president of the Mendham Historical Society. Topics to be covered include the commercial and residential buildings of the downtown area, some of which date back to the 18th century, famous settlers and residents of Mendham including Abner Doubleday, and a recounting of a notorious bank robbery.

 

Tour starts at the Phoenix House, 2 West Main Street, Mendham Borough & group size is limited to 25.

 

Secrets & Lore of Historic Morristown –
Led by David Breslauer

Grand homes, wealthy builders, and some annoying neighbors are part of the Historic District of Morristown. As two farms became a prestigious residential area, mansions made Morristown’s landscape and social scene change Walk in a neighborhood of fabulous Victorian homes with David Breslauer, former director of Macculloch Hall Historical Museum, and hear the stories of wayward chickens and pigs, brick walls against car traffic, week-long parties, tycoons and backyard views. The tour will end in Morristown’s ‘secret garden.’

 

Tour begins at 6 Court Street, Morristown & group size is limited to 25.

 

Past Tour Videos

Secrets & Lore of Historic Morristown (check out video of the tour)

Led by David Breslauer
Grand homes, wealthy builders, and some annoying neighbors are part of the Historic District of Morristown.  As two farms became a prestigious residential area, mansions made Morristown’s landscape and social scene change   Walk in a neighborhood of fabulous Victorian homes with David Breslauer, former director of Macculloch Hall Historical Museum, and hear the stories of wayward chickens and pigs, brick walls against car traffic, week-long parties, tycoons and backyard views.  The tour will end in Morristown’s ‘secret garden.’

 

   

 

The Morris County Tourism Bureau is a destination marketing organization that positively affects the economy of Morris County by promoting the area’s exceptional historic, cultural, and recreational opportunities by providing services to residents, business travelers, and tourists.

6 Court Street • Morristown, NJ  07960
Tel: 973-631-5151 • Fax: 973-631-515