Munsee Lenape ownership Circa 1000, the land was inhabited by the
Munsee Lenape. Circa 1500, Morris County was part of the
Lenapehoking.
Arrowheads found in Munsee encampments throughout the
Washington Valley suggest that they
hunted wolf,
elk, and
wild turkey for
game. They likely ate
mussels from the
Whippany river. In the 17th century, Munsee Lenape
fishermen made an annual pilgrimage from the
Washington Valley to the
Minisink Island on the
Delaware river, in part to procure
shellfish. Local farmer and philanthropist
Caroline Foster has said it is likely that Munsee
farmers cultivated
corn in the
summertime in the fields of the
Washington Valley. expelled
Munsee Lenape from their native land. Led by Reverend John Brainerd, colonists
forcefully relocated 200 people to a land
reservation named
Brotherton in
Burlington County, an industrial town known for
gristmills and
sawmills. It was later known as
Indian Mills. This was the first Native American reservation in New Jersey. The Munsee Lenape's
community leaders wrote multiple
treaties, including a 1780 treaty to denounce selling any more land to white settlers. In 1796, the Oneidas of
New Stockbridge invited the Munsee Lenape to join their reservation. A 1798 treaty announced their refusal to leave "our fine place in
Jersey." However, in 1801, many of the Munsee Lenape families agreed to move to
New Stockbridge, New York to join the
Oneidas, except for some families that stayed behind. In 1822, the remaining families were
moved again by
white colonists, over 900 miles' travel away, to
Green Bay, Wisconsin.
American ownership In the 18th century, Washington Valley became a
suburb of the city of
Morristown; residents would travel into town for
church services and to sell farm products. A schoolhouse is the only non-residential historic building in Washington Valley, displaying its lack of significant
local commerce and industry. The legacy of its connection to Morristown continues today. In 1806, the Washington Turnpike was built as an improvement to an 18th-century road. Today the turnpike is referred to as Mendham Road and
New Jersey Route 24. In 1852, the district was first referred to as Washington Valley by
school superintendents, who created the Washington Valley
School District. Circa 1960, the Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority purchased land along the
Whippany River in an effort to construct a
reservoir. In 1960, as a response, local residents including Barbara Hoskins and
Caroline Foster of
Fosterfields wrote and published
Washington Valley: An Informal History to prevent reservoir development in Washington Valley. The effort was successful as the Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority turned over its acreage to the Morris County Park Commission. ==Historic properties==