For its 100th birthday, Morris Plains gave a new name to a park it already owned.
The borough scheduled the dedication of Centennial Park for Sunday, Nov. 15, at 2 p.m., at the corner of Court Road and Littleton Road. TAPinto Morristown called it a "new park." The ground is not new. It's Court Road Park, the walking path and gazebo listed on the borough's parks page, and the Borough Council renamed it more than a year ago. So the centennial gift is a land decision Morris Plains made around the turn of the millennium, given a name that makes the decision visible.
The Resolution That Came First
On Sept. 4, 2025, the council adopted Resolution 2025-111, recorded in the meeting minutes as "Resolution Renaming Court Road Park to Centennial Park Block 191, Lot 5." It passed in a batch with routine items, including a raffle license and an insurance fund renewal.
That timing put the name in place before the centennial year started. The new name was ready for 2026, and the November dedication is the public ceremony for a decision already in the borough's records.
How the Borough Assembled the Land
The park came together in two purchases, five years apart, both supported by the Morris County Preservation Trust. The county's own project sheets give the details.
| Tract | County funding round | Preserved | Acreage | County grant | Grant per acre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Court Road Park-1 | 1998 | 1999 | 4.89 | $150,000 | about $30,700 |
| Court Road Park-2 | 2003 | 2004 | 1.97 | $500,000 | about $253,800 |
| Combined | 6.86 | $650,000 |
Both were fee-simple acquisitions, so the borough owns the land outright. The county describes the first tract as "located centrally in the Borough along Littleton Road," preserved "to protect natural resources and to develop recreation for Borough residents." When it described the second, smaller tract, the county said the borough had bought the adjacent property in 1999 "to provide open space in the central area of Morris Plains."
The 2004 tract is less than half the size of the 1999 tract, yet its county grant was more than three times larger. Per acre, the county's contribution rose about eightfold between the two rounds. Those figures are grants, not purchase prices. Still, in five years the county more than tripled its grant for a tract less than half the size, all to finish one park in the middle of a small borough.
Both county sheets say the property "contains trails and a gazebo." That matches the borough's current listing of a walking path and gazebo. The park being dedicated in 2026 is the park the borough built after those two purchases.
Where It Fits Among the Borough's Parks
The borough lists several parks, and each has its own role. Community Park at 51 Jim Fear Drive holds the Community Center, the pool, a pavilion, a playground, courts, ball fields and a fishing pond. Memorial Field on Tabor Road has baseball and soccer. Court Road Park has neither courts nor fields. It has a path and a gazebo on land the county describes as central to the borough.
That central location is what the borough bought the land for, and it's the park that now carries the centennial name.
A Year Built Around Shared Places
The Centennial Committee, led by Mayor Jason C. Karr and chair Jim Myers, has organized the 100th year around the motto "The Community of Caring," according to a Shop Morris County overview of the centennial. The anniversary goes back to 1926. The New Jersey Legislature passed an act creating the borough out of Hanover Township in March of that year, and voters confirmed it in a referendum on Thursday, April 15, 1926.
Most of the year's events have taken place in spaces the borough already had.
- Jan. 15. Students reenacted the 1926 council meeting in the Borough School auditorium, and the first real council meeting of 2026 followed right after.
- Jan. 17. The Community Center hosted a family birthday party. In February, a Centennial Cocktail Celebration was held at the VFW on Tabor Road.
- April 18. The committee dedicated a new town mural near the train trellis. It shows a train marked 1926 and 2026, downtown storefronts and the words "100 Years of Caring."
- June 27. Family Day and Fireworks at Community Park carried the centennial logo.
- Oct. 30. Downtown Morris Plains billed its fourth annual Pumpkin Illumination at the Merchant Block, 771 Speedwell Avenue, as the centennial edition.
- Nov. 15. The scheduled dedication of Centennial Park at Court Road and Littleton Road.
The mural went up beside the rail line the town grew around. The fireworks were at Community Park, and the pumpkins lined Speedwell Avenue. Shop Morris County notes that the Morris Plains train station, a red brick Renaissance Revival building from 1915, has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1984 and still serves NJ Transit's Morristown Line. The centennial has put its markers on places the town already relies on, and Court Road Park follows the same approach.
Leaving a Mark of Your Own
Two of the committee's programs invite residents to add something personal to the year.
The Centennial Time Capsule asked residents for a memory, photograph or other item from 2026, dropped off at the Community Center before Saturday, Nov. 7, as TAPinto reported. That window has now closed.
The Centennial Bench Sponsorship Program is the longer-lasting one. Each bench costs $2,000 and includes a personalized plaque. TAPinto reported on Nov. 6 that "a limited number of benches remain available," and asked anyone interested to bring a check to the Community Center. Centennial merchandise is also still on sale. The committee posts updates on the borough's centennial page and on Instagram at @morrisplains100. The roster on that page lists the volunteers behind the year, including treasurer Steve Welsh and council liaison Sal Cortese.
A plaque set this year will last much like the 1999 and 2004 land purchases have.
The Rest of the 100th Year
The centennial's last weeks fall during the holiday season, and three dates stand out.
- Saturday, Nov. 21, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The borough's Farmers Market holds a one-day Winter Market with local vendors, artisans and entertainment, run by the borough's market board. Details are on the borough's farmers market page.
- Nov. 28, Dec. 5 and Dec. 12, noon to 4 p.m. The Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms hosts free Craftsmas Open Houses at Gustav Stickley's Log House. The program includes period holiday decorations, craft activities and demonstrations, a photo scavenger hunt and docent-led landscape walks. Admission is free, and the museum recommends reserving ahead.
- December, Merchants Block on Speedwell Avenue. The Holiday Tree Lighting returns downtown. The Morris Plains Rotary calendar carries the listing, and the borough's centennial page and @morrisplains100 are the places to check for the final date and time.
The tree lighting brings the year back to the Merchant Block, the same strip of Speedwell Avenue where the centennial Pumpkin Illumination was held in October. The borough's 100th year will end downtown, at the same Merchant Block that has hosted its centennial celebrations.
If you live near Court Road or anywhere in central Morris Plains, the land the borough preserved in 1999 and 2004 is part of what surrounds your home. Margy and Denise know how places like Centennial Park show up in a home's value and in how buyers see a street. If you'd like to talk through what that means for your property, the DeFazio Flanagan Team offers personalized valuations and neighborhood consultations.
