Morris County Park Commission (Historic Speedwell)

The Morris County Park Commission will complete fabrication and installation of a major exhibit inside the National Historic Landmark Factory Building at Historic Speedwell. Phase I of this project, completed in 2008, features the early history of the Speedwell site. Visitors learn about the collaboration of Samuel F.B. Morse and Alfred Vail to perfect the first working telegraph in 1838. This phase of the exhibit will illustrate how Morse and Vail built upon this success. The evolution of modern telecommunications will be a central feature of the exhibit—from the development of telegraph systems to telephones, the Internet, and wireless communications. The exhibit space will also include a classroom for school programs and demonstrations where the guidance of trained instructors will help students imagine, question, and experience the impact of these technologies on both the United States and world history.