The historic Lutz-Franklin School in Lower Saucon Township was built in 1880. After falling into disrepair, members of the Lower Saucon Township Historical Society restored the structure in the mid-2000s. Today, the schoolhouse is used for educational tours by local schoolchildren and during special events, such as the society’s Apple Festival. (FILE PHOTO)
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 Lower Saucon Township Historical Society is participating in Lehigh Valley Passport to History month by opening the doors to the Lutz-Franklin Schoolhouse on Saturday and Sunday, July 9-10, from noon to 3 p.m. Admission is free. (Contributed photo)
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.
For directions to the Lutz-Franklin Schoolhouse, use the address 4216 Countryside Lane, Hellertown, Pa.
For more information, visit Lutzfranklin.