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Morris, Connecticut
Morris Community Hall
Morris Community Hall
Official seal of Morris, Connecticut
Seal
Location in Litchfield County, Connecticut
Location in Litchfield County, Connecticut
Country  United States
U.S. state  Connecticut
County Litchfield
Region Northwest Hills
Settled 1723 Incorporated 1859
Government
 • Type Selectman-town meeting
Area
 • Total 18.7 sq mi (48.5 km2)
 • Land 17.3 sq mi (44.9 km2)
 • Water 1.4 sq mi (3.6 km2)
Elevation
994 ft (303 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 2,256
 • Density 120.47/sq mi (46.52/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (Eastern)
ZIP code
06763
Area code(s) 860
FIPS code 09-49460
GNIS feature ID 0213465

Morris is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 2,256 at the 2020 census.

Europeans first began to settle the area that became Morris about 1723. Originally part of the town of Litchfield, it was called the South Farms because of its location 5 miles (8 km) south of the center. Designated a separate Congregational parish in 1767 and incorporated as a town in 1859, it was named after native son James Morris, a Yale graduate, Revolutionary War officer, and founder of one of the first co-educational secondary schools in the nation.

Morris lies in rolling hill country of woods, wetlands, fields and ponds. It also encompasses much of Bantam Lake, originally called the Great Pond, which covers about 947 acres (383 ha) and is the largest natural lake in the state. The traditional Town of Morris seal features the pine on Lone Tree Hill, which overlooks the lake. Morris is home to one of the oldest state parks in Connecticut as well as to one of the newest.

The area's transition from 18th century settlement to semi-rural community in the 2000s is the story of many Connecticut towns and much of New England. At first, farming just made families self-sufficient, but in the 1800s, agriculture evolved into a business. Then, over the next 150 years, competition, rising costs and increasing regulation made it less sustainable, despite economies and innovation. In the early 1900s, local water mills, manufactories and other small businesses encountered similar challenges and gave way to industry in nearby Waterbury, Torrington and beyond.

By the 1970s and '80s, the area was still largely rural, but residents' occupations had grown more diverse. Today, the farming tradition continues even as residents engage in a range of professions, businesses and arts locally and in the wider region. A number of second home owners come from the metro New York area. In addition to the two state parks and Bantam Lake, the 4,000-acre (1,600 ha) White Memorial Conservation Center offers a range of opportunities for outdoor sports and recreation. Camp Washington is a spiritual retreat operated by the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut.

Morris center looks like a typical small New England village, with a white Congregational church, a school, and town hall. Interspersed with fields and woods, a mix of Early American and newer homes strings out loosely along the town's roads. Children attend the local James Morris elementary school and regional Wamogo High School, a U.S. Department of Education school of excellence. Perhaps counter-intuitively, Morris also holds a Buddhist temple, as well as a Jewish cemetery from the early 1900s. The culture of the place is low-key, egalitarian and neighborly.

The town is engaged in strategic efforts to enhance its own economic base and that of the region; to attract productive, civic-minded residents; and at the same time to protect the open space, natural beauty and assets of a small community that make it attractive in the first place.

History

Morris was settled about 1723 and organized in 1767 as the South Farms parish of Litchfield. Morris was initially a farming community. It was incorporated as a separate town in 1859 and named for James Morris (1752–1820) a Revolutionary War soldier, who opened an academy in town in 1790. The ruins of the academy sit adjacent to the current James Morris Elementary school. Morris played a role in the Revolutionary War with many homes serving as quarters for revolutionaries from Maine and Vermont during their journey south to battles in New York.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 18.7 square miles (48 km2), of which, 17.2 square miles (45 km2) of it is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km2) of it (8.17%) is water.

Principal communities

  • Lakeside
  • Morris center
  • West Morris
  • East Morris

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1860 769
1870 701 −8.8%
1880 627 −10.6%
1890 584 −6.9%
1900 535 −8.4%
1910 681 27.3%
1920 499 −26.7%
1930 481 −3.6%
1940 606 26.0%
1950 799 31.8%
1960 1,190 48.9%
1970 1,609 35.2%
1980 1,899 18.0%
1990 2,039 7.4%
2000 2,301 12.8%
2010 2,388 3.8%
2020 2,256 −5.5%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,301 people, 912 households, and 640 families residing in the town. The population density was 133.9 people per square mile (51.7/km2). There were 1,181 housing units at an average density of 68.7 per square mile (26.5/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.48% White, 0.70% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 0.17% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.87% of the population.

There were 912 households, out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.2% were married couples living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.6% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $58,050, and the median income for a family was $63,293. Males had a median income of $49,063 versus $37,279 for females. The per capita income for the town was $29,233. About 3.4% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.8% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 25, 2005
Party Active voters Inactive voters Total voters Percentage
Republican 653 8 661 40.01%
Democratic 339 2 341 20.64%
Unaffiliated 639 11 650 39.35%
Minor Parties 0 0 0 0.0%
Total 1,631 21 1,652 100%

Transportation

Morris contains three main north–south roads and two main east–west roads:

  • On the east end, Route 63 heads north from East Morris to Litchfield (a section also known as Litchfield Road) and goes south to Watertown (a section also known as Watertown Road.)
  • From Morris center, in the middle of town, Route 61 heads north briefly before angling east on County Road and connecting with Route 63, headed to Litchfield. It goes south from the center, on South Street, to Bethlehem.
  • Route 109 goes east from the center on East Street and passes through East Morris, where it intersects with Route 63 before continuing as Thomaston Road and ending in Thomaston. Heading west from Morris center on West Street, it goes through Lakeside and West Morris to Washington Depot.
  • Running through the northwest corner of Morris, U.S. Route 202 goes northeast–southwest between Litchfield and New Milford.
  • West of the center, in Lakeside, Bantam Lake Road/ Route 209 runs north–south between routes 109 and 202, along the west shore of Bantam Lake.

Notable people

  • Chuck Aleksinas (1959-), drafted by the Chicago Bulls of the NBA, played for the Golden State Warriors. Graduated from Wamogo High School, where he scored over 1000 points. Played at Kentucky and finished college as a player at UConn.
  • P.T. Barnum (1810-1891), Born in Bethel, the showman, politician and businessman owned an unsuccessful copper mine in the Pitch area of East Morris.
  • Alexander Hamilton Holley (1804-1887), Born in Salisbury, student at Morris Academy, President of Holley Manufacturing Company, 40th Governor of Connecticut.
  • Sally May Johnson (1880-1957), teacher; forerunner of women in the armed services; established and was Chief Nurse at the Army School of Nursing, Walter Reed Hospital, World War I; progressive Administrator of the Massachusetts General Hospital School of Nursing and Nursing Service.
  • Charles B. McVay III (1898-1968) Captain, U.S. Navy; Commander of the heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis ; court-martialed and posthumously exonerated after the vessel was torpedoed and sunk, having delivered atomic weapons to Tinian Island in the Pacific.
  • Samuel John Mills (1783-1818) Congregational minister, missionary. As a Williams College undergraduate, a founder of the American Foreign Mission movement. The Torrington native was a student at Morris Academy.
  • James Morris (1752–1820), Yale graduate, officer in the Revolutionary War and War of 1812. Educator and founder of one of the first coeducational schools in the nation. Lived and died in South Farms, the part of Litchfield incorporated as a town in 1859 and named after him.
  • John Mason Peck (1789-1858) Born in Litchfield, educated at Morris Academy. Baptist minister, Western frontier missionary, abolitionist. Founder, first Baptist church in St. Louis, Shurtleff College (now part of Southern Illinois University.)
  • John Pierpont (1788-1866), Unitarian minister at Boston's Hollis St. Church, abolitionist, legislator, poet.
  • Winthrop H. Smith (1893-1961), Winthrop Hiram "Win" Smith was an American businessman, investment banker and name partner of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
  • Frederick Whittlesey (1799-1851) New Preston native, educated at Morris Academy and Yale. Professor at Genesee College (now Syracuse University). New York State Supreme Court judge and member of Congress
  • George Catlin Woodruff (1805-1885) Litchfield native, educated at Morris Academy and Yale, Militia Colonel, General Assembly member, Congressman

See also

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