Morristown

Town and seat of Morris County, northern New Jersey, lying on the Whippany River, 26 km/16 mi northwest of Newark; population (1990) 16,200. Morristown is of great historical interest for its rich military and industrial heritage.

Settled in 1709–10, Morristown was known as West Hanover until 1740. It was of great importance during the Revolutionary War, producing iron and gunpowder for the Continental Army and serving as its winter camp (1777, 1779–80). In the 19th century, its ironmaking facilities developed. Nowadays it is a residential and commercial community, with stone quarries, corporate headquarters, and research laboratories. Goods manufactured here include chemicals, pharmaceuticals, clothing, and metal products. The Seeing Eye School, which trains guide dogs for the blind, has been located here since 1929. In Morristown National Historical Park, which covers 6.7 sq km/2.5 sq mi, buildings and sites of the Revolutionary period have been preserved, including Fort Nonsense, a 1777 earthwork on a 182 m/597 ft-high escarpment, and Jockey Hollow, 3 km/2 mi west, where George Washington's army camped. The historic Speedwell ironworks and the Frelinghuysen Arboretum are also located in the town. Morris Township (population 20,000) surrounds the borough, and Morris Plains borough (population 5,200) lies immediately to the north.

Morristown

City and seat of Hamblen County, northeastern Tennessee; population (1990) 21,400. The city lies 64 km/40 mi northeast of Knoxville, just southeast of Cherokee Lake (the Holston River), in a valley between Clinch Mountain and the Great Smoky Mountains.

Morristown was settled in 1783. It lies in an area that produces tobacco, corn, soybeans, poultry, and beef cattle. Local industries manufacture synthetic fibres, furniture, electronic equipment, and canned goods. Walters State Community College (founded 1970) is here, as is the David Crockett Tavern and Museum.