Morris Mesa

Morris Mesa refers to the plateau of parkland named after the prominent Morris family of the Bronx.  In 1670, brothers Richard (c.1616-1669) and Lewis Morris (c.1601-1691) bought property in the Bronx.  Today, the Bronx neighborhoods Morrisania and Morris Heights honor this family.

Three great-grandchildren of Richard Morris earned fame as statesmen: Staats Long Morris (1728-1806) served as a British officer and later in the English Parliament.  He died a resident of England.  His brother, Yale-educated Lewis Morris (1726-1798), was a signer of the Declaration of Independence.  He earned the rank of major general in the Westchester militia, served in the Continental Congress (1775-1777), and. worked on a committee with George Washington (1732-1799) to provide the colonies with military supplies. In 1783, Lewis sent a letter to the Continental Congress recommending that Morrisania be made capital of the United States. The suggestion went unconsidered

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