Its namesake was John Bradley, an officer in the American Revolutionary War, who donated the land that the first school was built on.

[2] In 1990 the Bradley Academy Historical Association formed with the purpose of restoring the building for community use.

[1] The organization obtained funding for the restoration project from sources including the Christy-Houston Foundation, the Tennessee state government, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

It hosts exhibits on the history of Rutherford County, particularly of African Americans in the area.

[4] The Bradley Academy name is still in use as the name of a public elementary school in Murfreesboro, located at 511 Mercury Boulevard.