Basking Ridge Classical School | |
Location | 15 W. Oak Street Basking Ridge, New Jersey |
---|---|
Coordinates | 40°42′24″N74°33′0″W / 40.70667°N 74.55000°W |
Area | 0.5 acres (0.20 ha) |
Built | 1809 |
Architectural style | Federal |
NRHP reference No. | 76001185 [1] |
NJRHP No. | 2467 [2] |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | July 21, 1976 |
Designated NJRHP | November 25, 1975 |
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 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. 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. 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 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 to The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills which uses the historic building for its headquarters and public meetings, and operates a museum, one room schoolhouse for local history, and research room.
The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 21, 1976 for its significance in education, philosophy, and religion. [3]
1795-8 Basking Ridge Classical School founded(?) by Reverend Robert Finley 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 (1904-1925) Junior Order of United American Mechanics
1924 Bernards Township, New Jersey 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
2008 Dedication and opening of the top floor of the Brick Academy restoration effort. (November 11, 2008)
2009 Brick Academy Bicentennial celebration
Bedminster is a township in Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 8,272, an increase of 107 (+1.3%) from the 2010 census count of 8,165, which in turn reflected a decline of 137 (−1.7%) from the 8,302 counted in the 2000 census. Located within the Raritan Valley region, Bedminster is part of the Somerset Hills of northern Somerset County, bordering both Hunterdon and Morris counties.
Bernards Township is a township in Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 27,830, an increase of 1,178 (+4.4%) from the 2010 census count of 26,652, reflecting an increase of 2,077 (+8.5%) from the 24,575 counted in the 2000 census.
Samuel Lewis Southard 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 Senate, and was briefly first in the presidential line of succession.
Henry Southard was a United States Representative from the state of New Jersey.
Isaac Southard was an Anti-Jacksonian member of the United States House of Representatives from 1831 to 1833, representing New Jersey at-large.
Robert Finley 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 African Americans.
Basking Ridge is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Bernards Township in the Somerset Hills region of Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.
Ridge High School is a four-year comprehensive community public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from Bernards Township in Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary school of the Bernards Township School District.
The New Jersey Association of Independent Schools (NJAIS) serves independent elementary and secondary schools throughout the state of New Jersey. The Association consists of 70 member schools with a total enrollment of approximately 26,000 students. The New Jersey Association of Independent Schools is the representative organization of independent schools throughout the state of New Jersey.
West Nottingham Academy is an independent co-ed school serves both boarding and day students in grades 9-12. It was founded in 1744 by the Presbyterian preacher Samuel Finley, who later became President of The College of New Jersey, which is now Princeton University. The 124-acre (0.50 km2), tree-lined campus is in Colora, Maryland near the Chesapeake Bay, an hour south of Philadelphia and 45 minutes north of Baltimore.
Lyons is a New Jersey Transit station in Basking Ridge, New Jersey along the Gladstone Branch of the Morris & Essex Lines. The station serves south Basking Ridge as well as the Hills and Liberty Corner.
The Somerset Hills is known as the northern region of Somerset County located in the central portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey and includes the municipalities of Bedminster, Bernardsville, Bernards Township, Far Hills, and Peapack-Gladstone. The southwestern Morris County municipalities of the Chesters and the Mendhams are periodically recognized as part of the Somerset Hills.
Old Queens is the oldest extant building at Rutgers University and is the symbolic heart of the university's campus in New Brunswick in Middlesex County, New Jersey in the United States. Rutgers, the eighth-oldest college in the United States, was founded in 1766 during the American colonial period as Queen's College. Queen's College was named for Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the daughter of a German duke who became the queen consort of British king George III. Old Queens is located on a six-acre hilltop city block bounded by Somerset Street, Hamilton Street, College Avenue and George Street that was previously an apple orchard. Donated to the college in 1807 by James Parker, Jr., this city block become known the Queen's Campus and is the historic core of the university. Because of this, by metonymy, the name "Old Queens" came to be used as a reference to Rutgers College and is often invoked as an allusive reference to the university or to its administration.
Charles Muir Campbell was a Scottish businessman in early Princeton, New Jersey, an early pioneer farmer in Illinois, and he spent the remainder of his life in Springfield, Illinois, where he was a justice of the peace. While in New Jersey, he was one of the initial subscribers to the American Colonization Society.
The Presbyterian Church in Basking Ridge is a historic church at 1 E. Oak Street in the Basking Ridge section of Bernards Township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. The church congregation was founded in 1717. The present church, which was constructed in 1839 in a Greek Revival style, is listed in the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Until 2017, the churchyard held the Old Oak Tree of Basking Ridge, which was estimated to be 600 years old.
The Lord Stirling Manor Site is a historic site located at 96 Lord Stirling Road in the Basking Ridge section of Bernards Township in Somerset County, New Jersey. It was the property of the American General William Alexander, Lord Stirling. It is now part of Lord Stirling Park. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 22, 1978, for its significance in military and social history.
Historical Society Somerset Hills (THSSH) is a historical organization in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. It was founded in 1928 as the Historical Society of Basking Ridge.
Franklin Corners is an unincorporated community located along the Passaic River at the intersection of County Route 613 and U.S. Route 202 in Bernards Township of Somerset County, New Jersey. In the 19th century, it had a grist mill, saw mill, general store, school, and several houses. The Franklin Corners Historic District, featuring Van Dorn's Mill, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
The Kennedy–Martin–Stelle Farmstead is located at 450 King George Road in Bernards Township of Somerset County, New Jersey. The 4.4-acre (1.8 ha) farmstead was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 5, 2004 for its significance in architecture, education and politics/government from 1762 to 1852. The farmstead includes four contributing buildings and two contributing structures. It is now the home of the Farmstead Arts Center.
The Boudinot–Southard Farmstead is located at 135 North Maple Avenue in Bernards Township of Somerset County, New Jersey. The property was purchased by Elias Boudinot in 1771. Featuring a Colonial Revival farmhouse, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 18, 2009, for its significance in agriculture, architecture, military and politics/government. The 37-acre (15 ha) farmstead includes four contributing buildings and two contributing structures. It is also known as the Ross Farm.