Historic Speedwell

—Birthplace of the Telegraph —

Stephen Vail employed a large workforce to operate his Ironworks and to maintain his estate. Some of these workers lived on the property. Early views show that a number of worker houses once stood along the road forming a little village. They were simple dwellings each facing the street with a garden plot behind.           Speedwell Avenue must have been a busy place as business activity from the Ironworks and Sawmill mingled with the passing traffic to and from Morristown. Today, the road has been raised and widened burying many of the original road side features and now dominates the landscape. The archaeological remains of one of the worker houses can still be seen just off the path. It is interesting to compare the size of this tiny cellar hole, to the size of the Vail House, just up the hill.The Changing LandscapeAt Speedwell, the deep ravine cut by the Whippany River made an ideal site to build a dam and Ironworks. However, the road through the ravine, Speedwell Avenue, was steeply graded and difficult for horse drawn wagons. When the road was raised and a new bridge was built in the 1890's, the old tri-arch bridge was left standing. For years the old stone arches still straddled the river, finally collapsing in 2003. Today, a careful observer looking down from the new bridge can identify the



place where the old road once crossed.

Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.

Show me all markers in:  

The Factory
Wheel House
Ford Cottage
The Homestead Farm
The Granary
L'Hommedieu House
Vail House
Vail Homestead Farm
1849 Carriage House
Moses Estey House

• GPX
• KML
• LOC

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.