Origins and first buildings

In 1792, informal book trading occurred between Morristown residents, with 97 members and 96 books.^[1]

In 1812, residents formed the Morristown Library Association to grow the effort.^[1] This was officially incorporated in 1866 as the Morristown Library and Lyceum organization.^[1]

In 1875, the library moved to South Street, between Park Place and Pine Street. By that time, at least 8,000 volumes were available to borrow.^[1]

Fire

After growing to 30,000 volumes, a 1914 fire destroyed the lyceum and much of its contents.^[1] The library was temporarily housed "in the old YMCA building on South Street." Meanwhile, the Trustees used insurance and savings to buy land at the corner of Miller Road and South Street with the intention of erecting a new library building.

In 1916, retired textile merchant Grinnell Willis paid the entire cost of a new, fireproof building. He did so in "grateful remembrance of the love and affection bestowed on his late wife by her friends and neighbors in Morristown."^[1]

New building

On December 13, 1917, following Willis's donation, the Library opened to the public, featuring 8,000 volumes and 4 staff members.^[1]

Its Modern Mondays Reading Club, an exclusive women's-only book club established in 1921, included prominent community members such as anthropologist Ethel Cutler Freeman; writer Dorothy Kunhardt; local farmer Caroline Rose Foster;^[2] and Elinor Parker, manager of Scribner's Book Store.^[3]

In 1965, the Morristown & Morris Township Library began to serve as a Joint Free Public Library.

Notable items on display

The large golden eagle in the reference room is the only surviving item from the Morristown Armory, which was destroyed in a 1920 fire.^[1]

American blacksmith Samuel Yellin contributed two works for the museum. In 1931, he designed a custom fire screen incorporating the letters 'M' (for Morristown) and 'W' (for contributor Grinnell Willis). He also constructed the guard rail in the room's balcony; its 25 brass panels name World War I soldiers from Morristown and Morris Township.^[1]

Thomas Nast's 1867 caricature painting, Swinging Round the Circle, is displayed in the media center. Created for Nast's The Grand Caricaturama tour, each painting in the series was shown onstage in New York City and Boston accompanied by live entertainment, music, and commentary. It measures 7 by 11 feet and features several American political leaders riding a rudimentary carousel.^[4][1]