An undated snapshot photograph of the side porch of the Riegle-Dietrich homestead in Specktown, Lykens Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.
Seated on the porch is Elizabeth Catherine “Lizzie” Riegle, mother of Helen Mae [Hoffman] Dietrich (1895-1977) and mother-in-law to William E. Dietrich (1896-1977), both of whom are also pictured. Lizzie died in 1942.
At the time the photo was taken there was an indoor cold water supply from an adjacent well, but no indoor toilet. The outhouse was located about 500 feet from the house. In the photo, to the left, is the beginning of a large fruit orchard, much of which was destroyed when the new Specktown Road cut through the property about 1950. Also around 1950, a bathroom was installed in a small room on the second floor eliminating the need for the outhouse.
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