Historic
Bradley
Academy History
To build any structure one must have a solid foundation. Tennessee’s recognition of that fact was legislation that decreed every Tennessee county would have a public school. Built on land donated by the Murfree family, Bradley Academy was on of Rutherford County’s first schools. Each student had to pay $24 dollars a session; the student also was required to provide firewood. There was one teacher who taught English, grammar, Latin, Greek, arithmetic, writing, logic, and literature. Bradley Academy graduated many who would later become important members of both local and state society, including President James K. Polk, and Senator John Bell.
Bradley Academy closed in the 1850s when the classes and students were moved to Union University, also in Murfreesboro. In 1884, the building was repaired for use as a school for African American children. Funded with both private and public funds, African American schools in Murfreesboro became more than mere educational institutions—they were also a source of community pride. Initially there were three teachers and 150 students. Six years later, there were 250 students. An additional building was rented to handle to the extra students. By 1917, new laws and requirements demanded a new building, which was completed in 1918.
The new Bradley Academy building became the cultural center of the African American community. This new building was the site of choice for musicals, plays, glee club and band recitals, as well as community fairs. African American students attending Bradley mastered a curriculum equal to that of the original Bradley Academy and—as previous Bradley graduates—became pillars in the community, building on a strong foundation.
Building Restoration
In 1990, the Bradley Academy Historical Association (BAHA) was chartered for the purpose of reclaiming and rehabilitating the 1917 building. That same year the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1991, the Tennessee Historical Commission erected a historic marker in front of Bradley Academy to designate its importance to the community. The city, which had used the building for maintenance and storage for twenty years, leased the building to the non-profit BAHA to restore it as a multi-purpose community facility.
During the 1990s, the BAHA, the MTSU Center for Historic Preservation, the City of Murfreesboro, the Tennessee Historical Commission, and Congressman Bart Gordon, with substantial assistance from the Christy-Houston Foundation, the Tennessee General Assembly, and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, have succeeded in totally renovating the 1917 historic building. The first phase of the restoration was planned by Charles Warterfield and Associates architectural firm of Nashville, Tennessee with Parsley Brothers of Murfreesboro, Tennessee as contractors. The second phase, completed in August of 1999, was under the direction of Klein Swinney Associates, Architects of Nashville and Kaydon of Ashland City, Tennessee. With the new moniker of the Bradley Academy Museum and Cultural Center, Bradley Academy reopened to the public in the fall of 1999. The museum houses an exhibit on the county's nineteenth century history, an exhibit on the history of Bradley Academy, Holloway High School, and the African American community of Murfreesboro, a heritage classroom, an auditorium, kitchen, and office space.
415 South Academy Street
Murfreesboro, TN 37130
(615) 867-2633