This is Part 1 of a multi-part series on a Country Auction that took place in Specktown, Lykens Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, 18 June 1977. The auction was for the purpose of disposing the personal and real property of William “Bill” Dietrich and Helen [Hoffman] Dietrich, who had owned the real property since 1920 when they purchased it from the estate of Helen’s grandmother, Hannah [Rickert] Riegle who died on 11 July 1919. Hannah had purchased the 6 acres and improvements early in the 20th century so at the time of the sale, it had been in the family for more than 70 years. It was also the home where Helen grew up and was her home prior to her marriage to Bill.
The back story to the sale of the property, was that both Bill and Helen had been in declining health for several years. From years of working in the coal mines, Bill had developed emphysema and required daily oxygen doses. Helen did not seem to be recovering from a series of small strokes, and was rapidly losing her eyesight. Neither was able to drive. They had already turned the management of their finances over to a trusted friend, Lee E. Reed, who was an officer of the Gratz National Bank. After a family consultation, and with the full support of Bill, it was decided that both Bill and Helen should seek admission to the Lutheran home at Millersburg. At the time there was a waiting list at Millersburg, but there was an opening at Middletown in Frey Village. After an analysis of the finances, Lee E. Reed recommended the liquidation of the real property and personal property that they would not be taking to the home. If all went according to plan, there would be enough money available to provide for both Bill and Helen for about ten years.
The quickest and most efficient way to dispose of the property was to hold a public auction. These types of auctions were conducted on a regular basis throughout the area and one of the best firms, that of George N. Deibert, was contracted. Deibert ran ads in the local newspapers indicating what was to be sold, and the auction was set for Saturday, 18 June 1977.
Many weeks prior to the scheduled sale, Bill and Helen moved into Frey Village in Middletown. Lee E. Reed asked Kathryn [Dietrich] Gasbarro and Harold Dietrich, Bill & Helen’s children, to go into the property and remove any personal items that they would not want sold. It was during that period that boxes of old photographs and documents were discovered in the attic. Many of those photographs and documents are being presented here on this blog – with many more to come in the days ahead.
For the sale itself, there was only one problem that had to be overcome. Bill Dietrich insisted on attending the auction. It took quite a bit of convincing and a doctor’s advice for him to stay in Middletown. The emotional impact of the sale of his property would have been too much for him. The family promised him that the names of all auction attendees and a list of all the sale items with prices realized would be compiled and given to him – which he agreed would suffice. That, in addition to a set of photographs, became the official record of the day.
The notice of the auction, the photographs, the names of the attendees, and the prices realized will be the subjects of subsequent posts here.
Epilogue: Helen [Hoffman] Dietrich died on 26 July 1977, at Frey Village, about 5 weeks after the sale. Bill Dietrich died on 9 November 1977, less than 5 months after the sale. In conversations with him after Helen’s death and having had an opportunity to review the sale records, he was amazed at both the attendance and the total amount received. On the last visit to him at the home in early November, it was clear that he had given up after Helen’s death. They had been married for more than 62 years. He reached over to his bedside table and took a prized bronze horse and handed it to his great granddaughter who was sitting beside him. It was one of the only personal items that that he took to the home and he wanted to make sure that it would be kept in the family.
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Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.
The aerial photograph of the home, barn and land of William Dietrich and Helen [Hoffman] Dietrich was taken by Aerial Surveys on 1 May 1965.
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