The Brick Academy, sometimes called the Basking Ridge Classical School, was constructed by the Reverend Robert Finley, a pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Basking Ridge. Constructed in 1809 in the Federal style, it is representative of numerous classical seminaries created in New Jersey during the 19th century for educating the male children of wealthy citizens of the state. The exterior has never been altered and appears as it did in 1809. Alumni include: Theodore Frelinghuysen, United States Senator; William L. Daton, United States Senator and first vice-presidential candidate of the Republican Party (1856); and Samuel Southard, Governor of New Jersey and Secretary of the Navy. The Brick Academy currently serves as the headquarters of the Historical Society of Somerset Hills, and houses a research room/library and museum.
