Built in 1817 as a private academy, it has seen use as a parish hall, apartments, and a public school before its conversion to a museum.

It is a two-story brick building with a gable roof and a brownstone foundation.

The side elevations feature fully pedimented gables with fanlights at the center.

Windows are set in rectangular openings, with brownstone sills and splayed soldier brick headers.

[2] The school was built in 1817 as a private academy, a role it served until 1871, when the building was sold to the First Congregational Church for use as a parish hall.