With great sadness, I witnessed the closing of an educational landmark June 4, the Franklin building located in Northampton’s Third Ward. For the last time, students boarded buses, walked home or were picked up by their parents.

Future students and teachers will be transferred to other buildings for the next school year. The Franklin building is now a chapter in local history.

Franklin is located on the southeast corner of Ninth Street and Lincoln Avenue. When the building was constructed, the area was known as Stemton.

The first building was named in honor of George Stem. Mr. Stem operated the Lehigh Car Manufacturing Company, which manufactured spring wagons and, later, railroad cars. The factory was located on Main Street between Eighth and 10th streets and was erected in 1867.

The Stemton two-room brick schoolhouse was demolished as more room was required for a growing community. The Franklin building was constructed in 1907 and opened in 1908 to replace the Stemton School. The cost was amazingly $32,429.

This writer’s family will especially miss our neighborhood school. My mother-in-law, wife, daughter and grandson attended the school and received a fine education from the dedicated teaching staff.

The neighborhood has changed over the years, but older residents still remember the tolling of the school bell 8:15 a.m., summoning the students to class and the 8:30 a.m. bell telling the students they were late.

The daily sound of the ringing bell, happy students, dedicated teachers and staff are gone forever. They have become a cherished memory of the past.