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History

Mauricetown (Pronounced Morristown) was originally settled by the swedes in 1730. Sometime prior to 1789 Luke Mattox became owner of the village and operated a landing there until 1812. The village eventually became known as Mattox Landing. The landing was used primarily for shipping tomatoes, lumber, iron and cordwood.

In 1814, the village came to be owned by three Compton brothers who laid out the town plan. The town was then renamed Mauricetown for the river that flowed beside it, but known to the Dutch as the “Maurits River,” which meant Maurice in English.

In 1837, Captain Charles Sharp of Mauricetown operated the Coast Wide Trading Center. Most of the men of the village led seafaring lives, working on the boats sailing and trading from Maine to the West Indies and South America. Between 1830 and 1902, 61 boats were built in the boatyard in the village. Mauricetown was the home of the captains who sailed up and down the east coast.

The M.E. Church built in 1841 has a spire towering 125 feet and is visible from all approaches to the town. The sailors of Mauricetown planned that the spire should be visible at the mouth of the Maurice River and can act as a guide to mariners entering here. The spire is lite at night and makes a beautiful sight.

Mauricetown is a small, gridded town consisting of two main roads running east-west and three side streets running north-south, forming about ten blocks of mostly residential buildings. The village is built on high ground overlooking the Maurice River, which supported the Mauricetown’s economic boom during the 19th century, when the village was active in coastal trade and shipbuilding.

In 2015, according to census data, the village had a population of about 105 people living in 93 houses. Most of these houses were built in the 19th century and have been restored to their original beauty.