by Pat & Martha Wells, Chatham Township Historical Society
April 8, 2025
Top photo: Red Brick Schoolhouse by Tom Salvas
The Red Brick Schoolhouse was built in 1860 in Chatham Township and called the Mount Vernon School in honor of George Washington. The first floor of the two-story building was used as a one-room school for grades 1 through 8. The second floor was used as a non-denominational Sunday school for children and adults. Around 1900, the population of children had increased enough to require the use of both the first and second floor for classrooms. A vestibule with an interior staircase was added to the front of the building.
In 1929 the new Chatham Township School opened and the Red Brick Schoolhouse and the other country schools in the Township closed. Elliott and Martha Averett, who owned the adjoining land, purchased the schoolhouse and made it available to the community. An array of various groups met there, including Scouts, the Red Cross, an art club, a church congregation, the local woman’s club, and political groups.
By 1959, the Township had outgrown its small town hall. Mrs. Averett, now widowed, deeded the building to the town and it became the Town Hall. The building finally got indoor bathrooms and running water. The schoolhouse served the town well, but by 1988, a bigger venue was once again required and the building was emptied.
The Township offered the building for use as a museum to the Chatham Township Historical Society. Today, the museum highlights the history of the Township, including changes in the way of life from the time of the Lenape Indians to 1970s suburbia. The museum has Lenape arrowheads and spear points, archaeological artifacts from a Revolutionary War encampment, as well as artifacts and photographs from its agricultural and greenhouse industries and its county schools. The museum also features hands-on fun with vintage treadle sewing machines, manual typewriters, and a hand-crank gramophone (record player). They all work!
In 2024, the exterior of the building was restored. Starting in 2025, the interior and the museum displays will be restored and/or updated. Open the first Sunday of every month, the historical society is excited to participate in Pathways of History and welcome visitors to the Red Brick Schoolhouse on Saturday, May 3.
The Red Brick Schoolhouse Museum is located at 24 Southern Blvd, Chatham, at the corner of Fairmount Avenue and Southern Blvd. It is open on the first Sunday of every month from 2:00 to 4:00 PM and by appointment. For more information visit the historical society website: chathamtownshiphistoricalsociety.org.
To see inside the Red Brick Schoolhouse and 29 other sites around Morris County, don’t miss Pathways of History on May 3 and 4.
Did you enjoy this blog? MCHS is an independent nonprofit. Please consider supporting our mission at morriscountyhistory.org/donate or become a member at morriscountyhistory.org/get-involved/ to help us continue to preserve and promote Morris County history through programs, exhibits, and blogs like this.
