Memories of how things used to be in Somerset County, Pennsylvania

An ad for a book about growing up in Somerset County and northwest Pennsylvania.

The childhood adventures of a country kid
The Somerset County, Pennsylvania farm of my Korns grandparents has always felt like home to me because it is the first place I can remember living. The farm is located on the highlands between Big Savage Mountain and the Little Allegheny Mountain. Although my parents and I moved away to northwestern Pennsylvania in 1956 when I was three years old, we made frequent trips back home to Somerset County to visit my grandparents throughout my childhood. Those visits were an important part of my formative years, and figure prominently in a memoir I wrote about growing up in the 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s as a rural member of the Baby Boomer Generation.

The memoir, which is titled, “In the Land of Used to Be,” is a non-fiction coming-of-age story about what it was like to grow up way out in the country with my friends and my Somerset County cousins. Like many other county kids back then, our lives were largely free of adult supervision except for church, school, chores, and the work we did to earn spending money. Our youthful adventures ran the gamut from mild to insanely dangerous as we explored the surrounding countryside, and then eventually tested our limits as we passed through our teenage years. The memoir is based in part on a childhood autobiography that was written as school assignment in the 1960s.

Why I wrote a book about Baby Boomers
I wrote the book to help the younger generations understand how things used to be in Somerset County and elsewhere in western Pennsylvania back when Baby Boomers were growing into adulthood. I have no doubt that it will also bring back a flood of memories to those Baby Boomers who, like me, were raised along the dusty back roads of Pennsylvania. I hope that my autobiographical look at rural 20th century life will also help future generations understand how dramatically urban life differs from what rural life was like back then. Order your copy today! All proceeds benefit the MCHS.

Lannie Dietle, June 28, 2024

“In the Land of Used to Be,” which is photo-illustrated, captures my childhood recollections of how things used to be during the 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s. For Boomers who grew up in Somerset County, or elsewhere in rural Pennsylvania, this coming-of-age memoir will undoubtedly be a sentimental trip down memory lane. (ISBN-13: 979-8327495098.)

This is the Somerset County, Pennsylvania dairy farm of my maternal grandparents. It is the first place I can remember living, and was the scene of many memorable childhood experiences when I was growing up. That's my mother driving the horse-drawn sleigh. "Star Barns," like the one in this picture, were a common sight in Somerset County back when I was a kid. Just seeing this old picture brings back a flood of good Somerset County memories.

This is me on the Somerset County, Pennsylvania farm of my paternal grandparents, in the 1950s. It surely looks like I'm dreaming up some new boyhood outdoor adventure, doesn't it? The steep hillside pasture behind me is where I found a lot of small fossils back when I was growing up.

This me in 2024. I hope you like my northwest Pennsylvania and Somerset County childhood stories!