Morris

History

The town was settled around 1770. Morris was formed from the Town of Butternuts in April 1849. The town was named after General Jacob Morris (the son of Lewis Morris, a signer of the Declaration of Independence), who was granted land due to property lost during the revolution. In 1859, a part of Town of Pittsfield was transferred to Morris. Historical data shows a population of 2155 in 1850, 2038 in 1855, 2320 in 1860, 2191 in 1865, 2253 in 1870, and 2303 in 1875. After this, local population declined, the textile mills closed, numbers of sheep plummeted, hops began to give way to dairying, and the local bank failed after speculating in silver mines in New Mexico. There were several projected railroad lines through the vicinity after the mid-19th century. The most promising was a Sidney to Utica trolley line sponsored by Silas Kelsey of Burlington. At the same time, Dr. Lewis Morris, who owned the Unadilla Valley Railroad, was sponsoring his own railroad extension from New Berlin through Morris to Oneonta, where he intended to have an interchange yard with the Delaware & Hudson and Ulster & Delaware railroad lines, land which he donated to Oneonta in 1914, as Neahwa Park. Surveys for both routes were completed and staked, but not all of the right of ways given, and the trolley line was built in the Otego Valley instead. The Morris-Lull Farm, All Saints Chapel and Morris Family Burial Ground, Zion Episcopal Church Complex and Harmony Cemetery, and St. Stephen's Chapel (in the hamlet of Maple Grove) are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. From 2006 to 2021, Morris was the primary filming location for the original screenplay Portal Master. The sequel is currently in production.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (0.23%) is water. According to the 1878 history, Morris contained , assessed valuation $834,276, equalized $502,331. In 1864, Morris had improved , of plowed land, of pasture, and of meadow. By 1875, this had increased to of plowed, pastured and mowed. Today the few remaining dairy farms are at least one hundred cow dairies. New York State Route 23 and New York State Route 51 intersect at Morris village. The western town line is defined by the Unadilla River. Butternut Creek, flowing southward through Morris, is a tributary of the Unadilla River.

Race & ethnicity