In the 1880s, five small "ward schools" were constructed in neighborhoods to house younger students.

The three ward schools on the city's south side, Franklin, Lockwood, and Cass, all remained in use into the 1930s.

[2] Joseph C. Goddeyne was hired to provide a plan for the school, which had an estimated cost of $180,000.

The school was named after Moses Bingham, one of the first settlers of Alpena, and the owner of its first hotel and first gristmill.

[2] Bingham School is two-story red brick Collegiate Gothic structure, laid out in a traditional H plan.

[2] Media related to Bingham School (Alpena, Michigan) at Wikimedia Commons