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The schools of today are quite different from the schools of yesterday. The earliest schools in the townships were affiliated with the churches. In time, the one room school houses came into existence. Those in Lower Towamensing could be found in Aquashicola, Lehigh Gap, and Little Gap. Others in Towamensing Township were located in Kibler, Lovett, and Pine Run. The Kibler School is owned by the Palmerton Area Historical Society. It has been preserved and is operated by the Kibler School Committee. Open for visitors, more information about the Kibler School can be found at http://www.kiblerschool.org.
Palmerton's first school house was built in an undeveloped area of town which is now the 500 block of Franklin Avenue. "It was a two-story red brick school that appeared to be lost in the middle of a field with only an outhouse as company … the school operated with a water bucket and dipper, a potbellied stove, and no inside plumbing," recalled former resident Styles Butz. Butz went on to say "The location seemed to be at an out of the way spot. There was no road leading to it, only an elevated path to about Fifth Street and Delaware Avenue. The surroundings were marshy. I had trouble keeping my feet dry on my walk to school from 423 Lafayette Avenue. This school was here when we moved to Palmerton in 1904." Today Palmerton's first school house is a private residence.
Subsequently, three elementary schools opened beginning with the Delaware School in 1908, followed by the Franklin School in 1912, and the Hazard School in 1920. During the first thirteen years of its existence, the Franklin School served as the High School as well. However,when the population outgrew the space, the New Jersey Zinc Company donated the $150,000.00 required to build a new high school with the stipulation that it be named for Stephen Squires Palmer. As a result, the Franklin School reverted to an elementary facility and the S.S. Palmer High School was constructed on Third Street. In the years that followed, the Delaware, the Franklin, and the Hazard schools have been converted to apartment complexes while the S.S. Palmer has become an elementary school.
The Palmerton Area School District encompasses Palmerton, Bowmanstown, Towamensing, and Lower Towamensing Townships. There are three elementary buildings in the District. The first is the S.S. Palmer on Third Street, the second is the Towamensing Elementary School on Route 209 in the village of Forest Inn, and the third was the former NJZ Central Research Lab recently converted to the Parkside Education Center located on Fourth Street and Franklin Avenue. The Middle School and the Junior and Senior High Schools are located at a campus on Fireline Road.
Religious schools within the District include The Holy Trinity School in the church at Fifth Street and Lafayette Avenue, and St. John Neumann which is associated with the Sacred Heart Church on Lafayette Avenue. Several pre-schools are also available to the community.
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For additional information about the sites on the Photo Tour, return to the main page and click the various links, or call 610-824-6954, or Email: contactus@palmertonhistorical.org.
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