By Henry M. Holden

If we open the window of history into the Morris County of the 1920s, we will see images of smartly dressed people, flappers, jazz bands, and speakeasies. Fast cars, pleasure-seeking adults, energetic stock markets, and the birth of Hollywood’s “golden age” are also in this window of history. In fact, Morris County was a microcosm of America.

But there is another side to the story. The decade started on a positive note with the end of the Great War and the worldwide pandemic that had combined killed millions of people. But it also ended with the economic turmoil unleashed by the 1929 stock market crash, the resulting Great Depression, and the shadows of another world war.

But what happened between the beginning of the decade and its end? James Thomas, Department Head of the North Jersey History and Genealogy Center at the Morristown & Morris Township Library, and his team have put together an outstanding photo exhibit that explores life in Morris County during the “roaring 20s” 

“It took about 27 hours to set up this exhibit,” said Thomas. “It is the first exhibit I’ve been part of where we focused on just one decade. We have a great team here and we worked long and hard on the exhibit. I learned more about the 1920s in Morris County than I knew before we put the exhibit together. I was reminded of the important changes in society in the 1920s. This is our first onsite exhibit in three years,” said Thomas.  “We began the research on the exhibit last summer (2021).”

Captioned on many of the photographs are histories that have been forgotten. For example, Lou Gehrig, of New York Yankee baseball fame, played in Morristown under an alias, “Lou Long, “and “Lou Bush.” As a student athlete at Columbia University, Gehrig was banned from playing in any pro or semi pro capacity. However, the young Gehrig managed to sneak away and spend the 1922 season playing for the Morristown Colonials, at Collinsville Field.

With the end of World War I, Morris County and all of America would begin to witness the great military industrial power put to civilian use. A fledgling auto industry at the beginning of the war was now capable of producing thousands of automobiles for civilian use. And it did. America soon became mobile, driving to vacation and tourists’ destinations                                                                             and homes in the now-growing suburbs like Morris County. 

The explosion of automobile ownership affected not only the daily lives of residents but also strongly changed the character of neighborhoods and downtowns. The developing middle class resulted in a residential building boom and greater discretionary income.

There was a new form of advertising introduced during this decade. Two hallmarks of America’s 1920s corporate culture were the emphasis on bureaucratic standardization, and managerial hierarchy to maximize productivity and profits. Retailers embraced customer focused sales practices to indulge the public’s comfort and desires, whether in extravagant downtown department stores or the dry goods stores on Main Street. Store owners began to allow customers to inspect and handle goods unsupervised, as opposed to the traditional method of keeping products safely behind a counter under a clerk’s supervision.

On January 16, 1920, one year after its ratification, the enactment of the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of intoxicating beverages. However, it did not prohibit the private possession or consumption of alcohol, which allowed legal loopholes for consumers possessing alcohol.

  The exhibit explores the role of local governments as they attempted to enforce unpopular Prohibition laws while battling corrupt officials. Several illicit clubs operated in Morris County with relative impunity, and where corrupt officials squared off against reformers.

“On August 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment was ratified which guaranteed women the right to vote,” said Thomas. “Voting rights allowed more women to enjoy new careers and less domestic drudgery thanks to labor-saving devices.” 

People enjoyed new entertainment choices thanks to the many fads, films, and radio programs of the era. 

Radio also played a role in the formation of American society. From music to mystery, to “breaking news” the radio became a must-have household appliance.

“We haven’t used QR Codes very much in the past,” said Thomas.  “But for this exhibit we used two. One is on John Pinkman, an early historian. Pinkman’s love of history led to his appointment as Morristown’s official historian, where he meticulously documented its African American community. The other QR Code is of Buster Keaton, the silent screen actor. Keaton’s first independently produced film, “One Week,” (a 19-minute silent film) was one of the 1920s top grossing releases.” 

The exhibit also discusses the second rising of the Ku Klux Klan. “There was much Klan activity in Morristown and the surrounding area,” said Thomas. “The first Ku Klux Klan formed in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War; however, increased law-enforcement greatly diminished its activities.” 

However, there was also a resurgence of the Klan in the 1920s.  Much of the recruiting was done in secret at fraternal organizations in Morris County. The Klan sought to preserve the status quo for establish citizens and particularly those of white native-born Protestant Americans. The Klan targeted African Americans, immigrants, Jews and Catholics with racist and xenophobic rhetoric, and ideology.

“Despite numerous public meetings and reported cross burnings around Morris County, the Klan had a difficult time gaining traction in many parts of New Jersey. This was especially true in Morristown,” said Thomas.  “This is mainly due to the large percentage of foreign-born and Black residents that made up the population.” 

The twenties also witnessed a rising Black middle class and entrepreneurial working class in Morris County that exercised its newfound economic strength by starting successful businesses and constructing new homes.        

The Twenties: Big Business, and Daily Life in Morris County, 1920-1930, is on view on the second floor of the F.M. Kirby Gallery of the Morristown & Morris Township Library, through December 2022.