The Atlas Cement Company Memorial Museum, the only such museum in the United States renowned for its collection of artifacts that tell the story of cement manufacturing in Northampton and the region, will open its 2015 season this Sunday.

Located at 1401 Laubach Ave., in a wing of borough hall, Curator Ed Pany said the Atlas museum will be open to the public the second and fourth Sundays of the month, 1-3 p.m., through September. Admission is free.

Since its opening in 1997, the museum attracts more than 1,000 visitors annually, including guests from across the globe, including China, Spain, Greece, Canada, Mexico, Austria, Germany, Canada and England, among other countries.

Visitors are treated to more than 3,000 pictures, artifacts and inter-active exhibits.

The Atlas Cement Company, once the largest cement-producing company in the world, has the company's original laboratory, office with desk and typewriter, switchboard and other items on display.

Also, there is a life- size horse replica and a scaled-down Atlas quarry and plant exhibit.

The cement plant is known for providing cement for the Panama Canal, Empire State Building in New York City and other major projects.

Among the new additions to the museum's collection will be plaques paying tribute to the five operating cement plants in the region: Lafarge, Keystone, Essroc, Hercules and Lehigh Heidelberg. Also, small flags from foreign countries whose citizens toured the museum will be on display.

Northampton Area School District elementary school children tour the museum annually.

Pany said he is working closely with the NASD school board and administration to integrate cement history into the new middle school curriculum when it opens in September.

The museum honors a Cement Worker of the Month, who then becomes part of the museum's history.

Credit for the museum's success, Pany said, is attributed to tour guides Larry Oberly, Leroy Brobst and Sally Madden.

"I am proud of all the artifacts in the museum," Pany said. "We have not paid for any. All are donated."