County Earmarks $100K To Celebrate USA's 250th Birthday In Morris Co.

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ —Morris County officials have big plans for the upcoming 250th anniversary of America's independence, and announced they will contribute $100,000 to begin coordinating the celebrations.

Morris County has quite a few historic sites where some of our our nation's founders lived, fought, and worked together to found the United States: including the Ford Mansion and Washington's Headquarters Museum, Jockey Hollow encampment area, and Livingston-Benedict House. General George Washington also made his headquarters at Jacob Arnold's tavern in Morristown during winter encampments in 1777-78 and 1779-80, as noted in this Patch article.

Commissioner Director Christine Myers said that celebrating the 250th anniversary of America’s independence is not only important for the nation, but also will create opportunities to boost tourism and the local economy in historic Morris County.

“Our 250th is a great opportunity for our county," she said. "We invite everyone who wants to learn about the American Revolution to visit, explore, enjoy and learn how Morris County played in a role in establishing the best country the world."

The $100,000 in county funds will be committed to the Morris County Economic Development Alliance (MCEDAlliance) and the Morris County Tourism Bureau to coordinate 250th anniversary celebrations.

Morris County experienced a 31 percent growth in tourism from 2021 to 2022 according to Craig Schlosser, President & CEO of MCEDAlliance and the Tourism Bureau.

“The announcement of the additional funding for the 250th will allow us to better leverage existing capabilities and develop new ones as we share our amazing communities with visitors from around the corner to around the world," he said in a news release.

The county's history in the American Revolution will also be featured in the PBS series "Travels With Darley." Commissioners announced their planned funding for the USA's milestone birthday at a special sold-out premiere on Feb. 18 at the Morris Museum.

The Commissioners also said they will make financial commitments for celebration-planning in 2025 and 2026.

Click here to read more from the commissioners' office about upcoming plans.

Related article:

PBS Show To Feature Morris Museum, Local Revolutionary War Sites