Brick Academy is the nickname for a Federal-style brick building built in 1809 to meet the growing needs of the ''Basking Ridge Classical School'' located in the
Basking Ridge
Basking Ridge is an Local government in New Jersey#Unincorporated communities, unincorporated community located within Bernards Township, New Jersey, Bernards Township in the Somerset Hills region of Somerset County, New Jersey, Somerset Count ...
section of
Bernards Township,
Somerset County, New Jersey. That school existed prior to 1799, at least 10 years before the construction of this building in 1809. The brick building was constructed for the elementary school run by local Presbyterian pastor, Rev.
Robert Finley
Robert Finley (1772 – November 3, 1817) was an American Presbyterian clergyman and educator who is known as one of the founders of the American Colonization Society, which established the colony of Liberia in West Africa as a place for free Af ...
. This was about halfway through Rev. Finley's time at Basking Ridge. During the time he ran the school, attendance grew from fewer than 12 to an average near 25 students, and sometimes as high as 40 students. Students came from near & far, mostly from prominent families. The school was a high end preparatory school for boys who generally continued on to the College of New Jersey, later (in 1896), known as
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
. In 1817, Rev. Finley quit Basking Ridge to briefly become president of the University of Georgia in Athens, GA. By 1828, the "Brick Academy" corporation was formed and the building continued use as a private, then public school in 1853, before being used for other purposes.
The nickname "Brick Academy" is often misused to include students who actually attended the "Basking Ridge Classical School" (prior to 1828). It is also used inappropriately to include students at that school prior to the construction of the brick building, later known as "the Brick Academy".
Samuel Southard
Samuel Lewis Southard (June 9, 1787June 26, 1842) was a prominent American statesman of the early 19th century, serving as a U.S. Senator, Secretary of the Navy, and the tenth governor of New Jersey. He also served as President pro tempore of the ...
is frequently cited as having attended the "Brick Academy" in Basking Ridge, however he graduated Princeton in 1804 - fully 5 years prior to the construction of the brick building later known as the Brick Academy.
After many years of service as a private boys' school, the ''Brick Academy'' later served as a public school, and then as a meeting hall for several fraternal and benevolent organizations, and the Bernards Township municipal building. (See timeline below.) In 1976 the Township leased the ''Brick Academy'' t
The Historical Society of the Somerset Hillswhich uses the historic building for its headquarters and public meetings, and operates a museum, one room schoolhouse for local history, and research room. That organization offer
an online virtual tour of the Brick Academy
The building was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
on July 21, 1976 for its significance in education, philosophy, and religion.
[ With ]
Notable students
*
Samuel Lewis Southard
Samuel Lewis Southard (June 9, 1787June 26, 1842) was a prominent American statesman of the early 19th century, serving as a U.S. Senator, Secretary of the Navy, and the tenth governor of New Jersey. He also served as President pro tempore of the ...
(1787-1842), served as
U.S. Senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
,
Secretary of the Navy
The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense.
By law, the se ...
, and the
10th
10 (ten) is the even natural number following 9 and preceding 11. Ten is the base of the decimal numeral system, by far the most common system of denoting numbers in both spoken and written language. It is the first double-digit number. The rea ...
Governor of New Jersey
The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official res ...
.
Samuel Lewis Southard profile
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
. Accessed July 29, 2007.
* Theodore Frelinghuysen
Theodore Frelinghuysen (March 28, 1787April 12, 1862) was an American politician who represented New Jersey in the United States Senate. He was the Whig vice presidential nominee in the election of 1844, running on a ticket with Henry Clay.
Bo ...
, United States Senator, Whig candidate for Vice President in 1844, and president of Rutgers College
* William Lewis Dayton
William Lewis Dayton (February 17, 1807 – December 1, 1864) was an American politician, active first in the Whig Party and later in the Republican Party. In the 1856 presidential election, he became the first Republican vice-presidentia ...
, United States Senator, Republican candidate for Vice President in 1856, and Minister to France during the Civil War
* Commodore Robert Field Stockton
Robert Field Stockton (August 20, 1795 – October 7, 1866) was a United States Navy commodore, notable in the capture of California during the Mexican–American War. He was a naval innovator and an early advocate for a propeller-driven, steam-p ...
, hero of the Mexican War
Timeline
1795-8 ''Basking Ridge
Basking Ridge is an Local government in New Jersey#Unincorporated communities, unincorporated community located within Bernards Township, New Jersey, Bernards Township in the Somerset Hills region of Somerset County, New Jersey, Somerset Count ...
Classical School'' founded(?) by Reverend Robert Finley
Robert Finley (1772 – November 3, 1817) was an American Presbyterian clergyman and educator who is known as one of the founders of the American Colonization Society, which established the colony of Liberia in West Africa as a place for free Af ...
with students boarding locally or with Dr. Finley
1809 ''Brick Academy'' is constructed as the home of the ''Basking Ridge Classical School''
1817 Rev Finley leaves NJ and travels to Athens GA to become president of University of Georgia, about a month before his death.
1828 Basking Ridge ''Brick Academy Company'' incorporated
1853 School District #12 in Basking Ridge opens in the ''Brick Academy'' building as a public school.
1896 ''College of New Jersey'' changes name to ''Princeton University'' as part of the sesquicentennial celebrations.
1904 The ''Brick Academy'' is sold to the ''Ancient Order of United Workmen
The Ancient Order of United Workmen (AOUW) was a fraternal organization in the United States and Canada, providing mutual social and financial support after the American Civil War. It was the first of the "fraternal benefit societies", organizatio ...
'' (1904-1925) ''Junior Order of United American Mechanics
The Junior Order of United American Mechanics is an American fraternal order. It began as a youth affiliation of the Order of United American Mechanics, but seceded to become its own organization and eventually absorbed its parent order. Origin ...
''
1924 Bernards Township, New Jersey
Bernards Township () is a township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. The township is a bedroom suburb of New York City in the much larger New York metropolitan area, located within the Raritan Valley region. As of the 2020 Uni ...
rents building for municipal offices
1948 Bernards Township buys building for continued use for municipal offices
1975 Bernards Township government moves to former Astor estate at 1 Collyer Lane
1976 Township leases ''Brick Academy'' to The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills
1976 ''Brick Academy'' listed on National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
2008 Dedication and opening of the top floor of the ''Brick Academy'' restoration effort. (November 11, 2008)
2009 ''Brick Academy'' Bicentennial celebration
See also
*List of museums in New Jersey
This list of museums in New Jersey is a list of museums, defined for this context as institutions (including nonprofit organizations, government entities, and private businesses) that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scientific, ...
References
External links
Bernards Twp 250th Anniversary Celebration web site
Princeton University - Parent's Handbook
See the History of Princeton section.
{{NRHP in Somerset County, New Jersey
Bernards Township, New Jersey
School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey
Buildings and structures in Somerset County, New Jersey
Museums in Somerset County, New Jersey
History museums in New Jersey
Education museums in the United States
Schoolhouses in the United States
National Register of Historic Places in Somerset County, New Jersey
New Jersey Register of Historic Places