LSHS Home

Lower Saucon Township Historical Society

PO Box 176, Hellertown, PA 18055 ~ 610-625-8771

Contact us by email.

The Lutz Franklin School is located at 4216 Countryside Lane, Hellertown
Click here for directions to the Lutz Franklin School.
Click here for meeting information and directions.

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Welcome to the Home Page for LSTHS

Time did not stand still in Lower Saucon Township and as farms and buildings passed from owner to owner there were significant changes that took place. Many early century buildings were lost or destroyed while others went through alterations or additions.

Many of these buildings lost key parts of their architecture and to rebuild those missing elements has been a real challenge. In most cases, reconstructions are only accomplished with early photos or sketches and after hours of architectural research and archaeological work.

Our older buildings are psychologically important reference points in a changing urban environment. These diverse remnants tell us where we came from as a township and as people. They help give Lower Saucon Township its sense of place and identity. And once they are gone, they are gone forever.

lutz franklin bell tower "You can't stop progress," we are told, but we can redefine what "progress" is. It need not mean plundering our past for things bigger and better. As we approach the 21st century, we must make room for the preservation of human values which includes a more intelligent stewardship of the history that is written in the building blocks of our township.

Learn more about Lower Saucon on our history page.

Here's some of the things we're doing currently:

3rd Annual One-Room Schoolhouse Alumni Get-together! We encourage alums to bring their report cards, diplomas, notebooks and journals, family and school class pictures. LSTHS would like to scan your school day memories at the get-together and return them to you. We want to add your special memories to our archive collection. Refreshments will be served. *February 13th from 12:00 am to 3:00 pm* Join us at Seidersville Hall, 3700 Old Philadelphia Pike *610-625-8771* *lshistorical@yahoo.com*
Great News National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, has listed the Lutz-Franklin Schoolhouse on the National Register of Historic Places !!!!
2009 Officers, Board of Directors Officers President - Sue Horiszny Vice President - Fran Robb Treasurer- John Ortwein Secretary - Sally Murphy Board of Directors Peggy Fluck (Alumni) Carol Gorney Jody Hijazi Sue Horiszny (Education) Faith Lovett Fran Robb (Acquisitions/Exhibits, Facilities) Sally Murphy (Alumni) John Ortwein Laura Ray (Website) Karen Samuels (Public Relations, Newsletter ) Jim Sturm Lenny Szy	2009 Advisory Board, Committee Chairs Advisory Board Dr. Pat Coughlin Priscilla deLeon Deborah Hartwell, Esq. Glenn Kern Dr. Richard Kingston Thomas Maxfield Ken Raniere George Torrella Christine Ussler Sandra Yerger Committee Chairs Patti Wagner - Membership
Please Drop off all of your: Junk mail, Magazines, Shopping catalogs, Newspaper, Office and school papers. NOT Allowed: Plastic, Glass, Metal, Cardboard, Phone books, Trash This is a great way to support your community and environment by reducing the amount of waste sent to the landfill. 40% of everything in the landfill is paper - let's change that. The different types of paper do not have to be separated and you do not have to remove staples! You may save and dispose of your recycling materials in either paper or plastic grocery bags; however, if you use plastic bags please do not tie them shut as they tend to jam the shredding machine.	Recycling Program Updates Paper retrieval bins have been placed in the Saucon Valley area as a fundraiser for the Lower Saucon Township Historical Society. The bright yellow and green bins are located at: Lower Saucon Township Municipal Complex Hellertown Borough Hall Saucon Valley School District Campus Dewey Fire Company Society Hill Hellertown Borough parking lot across from the Post Office Iaccoca Hall at Lehigh University Hellertown Water Authority's office According to Abitibi's statistics, we help save 17 trees per recycled ton. We've now recycled over 1,100,000 pounds of paper and have saved over 9383 trees! One ton of recycled paper absorbs 250 pounds of carbon dioxide, saves 7000 gallons of water, and saves 4000 kilowatt hours of energy.

Learn more about LSTHS and our area history by checking out past editions of our newsletter. NOTE: The newsletter files are large - we only recommend viewing them if you have a high-speed connection.
Spring 2008 Newsletter	Summer 2008 Newsletter
Fall 2008 Newsletter	Winter 2008 Newsletter
If you enjoyed looking at our newsletter, learn how to become a member and have a copy mailed to you quarterly.

The Lower Saucon Township Historical Society
is registered with www.schoolpop.com.

Do you shop online?
If so, register at schoolpop.com and sign up to donate a percentage of your shopping to the Lower Saucon Township Historical Society. Signing up is free and easy. What a neat way to shop while not spending one cent more. All profits help restore the Lutz-Franklin Schoolhouse. There are hundreds of online retailers. For example, Expedia.com, Amazon.com, Best Buy, Lands End, even QVC. Some retailers offer as much as 12% of your purchase price.

Remember us the next time you book airfare, hotels, or trips online, send flowers, or shop at any of your favorite stores online, Login to www.schoolpop first.
To sign up, go to www.schoolpop.com and choose
Lower Saucon Township Historical Society
as your designated organization.

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Attention EBay Sellers
LSTHS is now registered with Mission Fish.
Through this, you may donate all or a portion of the proceeds from any item you sell on Ebay to LSTHS. Check out this link to Ebay to find out how to sell your items through this program.

Email us at lutzfran@lutzfranklin.com

Mission Statement
The Lower Saucon Township Historical Society seeks to preserve and maintain the Lutz-Franklin Schoolhouse as an example of 19th century Pennsylvania architecture, to utilize it as a place of public education, to acquire, conserve and archive artifacts, manuscripts, photographs, recordings and ephemera relevant to the history of Lower Saucon Township and to make them available for research, study and education.

Web Design by L.Ray

How to get to Lutz Franklin School:

How to get to Seidersville Hall:
Our monthly meetings are held the 2nd Wednesday each month at 7:00pm at Seidersville Hall located at the Lower Saucon Township Municipal Complex at 3700 Old Philadelphia Pike, Bethlehem, PA. To get there:

FROM THE NORTH	From Route 22 take PA 378 South towards Bethlehem. After crossing the Hill-to-Hill bridge, with its steel superstructure, continue south on Route 378 up the mile-long hill to the top. After crossing the top of the hill and starting down the hill about 1 block, bear to the right onto the two-lane road (Old Philadelphia Pike) and continue past the stop intersection for about two city blocks to Town Hall on the right.
FROM THE SOUTH	From Route 309, turn onto Route 378 North and continue northward for about three miles. After you pass under the I-78 overpass, turn left at the traffic signal on to Black River Road. At the stop sign turn right onto Old Philadelphia Pike. Continue northbound for about two city blocks to Town Hall on the left.
FROM I-78	Interstate 78 West to Hellertown/Bethlehem Exit 67. Follow Route 412 South, which becomes Main Street in Hellertown. Turn right at traffic light at Water Street, which becomes Friedensville Road after crossing Saucon Creek. Follow Friedensville Road to Hickory Hill Road. Continue straight ahead to Route 378. Continue through the traffic signal to the stop sign at Old Philadelphia Pike. Turn left and continue downhill on Old Philadelphia Pike for about two city blocks to Town Hall on the right.