Our History

The club moved to the Stephen Guerin House at 126 South Street. These quarters served as home throughout Morristown’s fabled “golden years”. The roster of members included merchants, stockbrokers, bankers, educators and architects as well as representatives from Morristown’s considerable naval community. Admiral Dewey was granted honorary membership along with all judges of the New Jersey Supreme Court (and “other distinguished persons”).

“Probably the most popular and luxurious resort for the gentlemen of Morristown” is how the Morris County Chronicle of December 1, 1896, described the Morristown Club.

For many members the Morristown Club was a regular stopping-off place between the club car of the Millionaires Express and Home.

The Volstead Act. Like most private facilities, the Morristown Club found ways to mitigate the force of prohibition. Shortly before the act took effect the club “laid down a good supply of liquor” and accommodated members by selling them each two barrels of whiskey. When the authorities made it clear early on that no club was permitted to store alcoholic beverages on the premises … “The disposition of wines and liquors was left to the house committee with power”. However, someone seems to remember a long line of men emerging from St. Peter’s Church in single file after Sunday service, heading across the street toward the Morristown Club!

In 1929 a disastrous fire destroyed the clubhouse at 126 South Street. The story is told that President George Palmer, mindful of the club’s importance to its members as a way station, was so determined its services be uninterrupted that he bought the present clubhouse at 27 Elm Street the same day.