Site Number: 3  Northern Tour

Weekend Journey Events:
 - Early education displays - books, photos, etc.
 - Artifacts from Lord Stirling’s 18th century plantation
 - A salute to local post offices with memorabilia
 - Guided Walking Tour of Basking Ridge Village:
      Saturday, 1 PM
 - Bicentennial History, Art & Photography Exhibits
 - Early Schoolhouse Activities for Children

Driving directions:
From Route 287, take exit 30 and proceed south on North Maple Avenue approximately 2 miles to the center of Basking Ridge. Turn right on West Oak. The Brick Academy is on the corner.

Parking:
Parking and restroom facilities are available at the site.

ADA Accessible: Yes
Ground floor only (Research Room); designated parking

Normal Hours:
Open year-round to public: Museum: Sundays 2-4 P.M.
(except summer & holidays); Research Room: 1st & 3rd
 Wednesdays monthly, 9:30 A.M.-Noon and by appointment


Website: www.historicalsocietyofsomersethills.org
Email: info@www.historicalsocietyofsomersethills.org
Phone: 908-221-1770, Marcella Miccolis
Map: Google Map
Historic Register: Yes
Additional Information:
After the township offices were relocated in 1975, the Brick Academy became the headquarters of The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills. The top floor is currently being restored to its late 19th century appearance. Upon completion, it will be used for education programming and feature exhibits on the history of education in the Somerset Hills.

Organization:
Historical Society of the Somerset Hills

Brick Academy

In 1764, Reverend Dr. Samuel Kennedy founded a classical school at his farmstead. The school prepared young men for college, with many going on to the College of New Jersey (later Princeton University). In 1809, Rev. Dr. Robert Finley, his successor and pastor of the Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church, built the Federal-style Brick Academy in the village. It continued as a private academy for nearly 50 years until mid-19th century. The Academy attracted students from NJ, PA, NY, MD, and VA.

Theodore Frelinghuysen, William L. Dayton, a native of Basking Ridge and the first vice-presidential candidate of the Republican Party (1856), and Samuel Southard, Governor of New Jersey and Secretary of the Navy, were alumni. From 1853-1903 the historic site served as the Basking Ridge District School No. 12.

The building was then acquired by two fraternal organizations: Ancient Order of United Workman (1904-1925) and the Junior Order United American Mechanics (1925-1948). Bernards Township rented the main floor for meetings and then purchased the schoolhouse in 1948.