Visit Historic One-Room School in Lower Saucon Township July 9-10

If you’ve ever driven past the historic Lutz-Franklin Schoolhouse on Countryside Lane in Lower Saucon Township and thought, “I’d love to see what that looks like inside,” you’ll have a chance to visit the school in July.

The Lower Saucon Township Historical Society–which maintains the schoolhouse as a living history museum–will open the doors to it Saturday and Sunday, July 9-10 as part of Lehigh Valley Passport to History month, in which various local historical sites are participating.

The school building will be open both days from noon to 3 p.m., with free admission for anyone who visits. Snacks and beverages will be provided as refreshments.

Inside the school, tours will allow visitors to experience a student’s typical day in a one-room school, as well as learn about the cultural, historic, geographic and economic forces that shaped education in what was then a farming community.

On display in the schoolhouse are original educational artifacts and documents, including textbooks, maps and photographs.

The Lutz-Franklin Schoolhouse was built in 1880 as one of more than a dozen one-room schools that once served the rural community of Lower Saucon Township.

The stone structure housed a one-room school until 1958, which was when Lower Saucon Elementary School opened on Wassergass Road. The newly-built school was modern and allowed the various one-room schools’ classes to be consolidated under one roof.

After being neglected for nearly half a century, the Lutz-Franklin School was restored by the Lower Saucon Township Historical Society’s volunteers and others in the mid-2000s.

It has since been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

A township park that is adjacent to the school is equipped with a parking lot, a pavilion and other amenities.

For directions to the Lutz-Franklin Schoolhouse, use the address 4216 Countryside Lane, Hellertown, Pa.

For more information, visit Lutzfranklin.wordpress.com.