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.
The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills is based at the Brick Academy, which 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. It is the oldest standing school in the area and existed prior to 1799, at least 10 years before the construction of this building in 1809.
The brick building was constructed 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.
In 1988, the Board of Trustees made the decision to expand its historic representation to include not just Basking Ridge, but the entire Somerset Hills community. A number of Somerset County and State grants have been approved for the restoration of the facility, most recently being the third floor school room. The latest grant application was approved in 2014 to replace the roof which is expected to be completed in 2018.
THSSH has a 100-year lease with Bernards Township to house their organization at the Brick Academy. In return, THSSH is responsible for maintaining the property and opening the facility to the public on a regular basis.