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Family in Appalachia, USA, ~1964 (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 year ago by PugJesus@lemmy.world to c/historyporn@lemmy.world

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[-] SteveFromMySpace@lemmy.blahaj.zone 31 points 1 year ago

I remember watching Harlan County, USA and the community didn’t even have electricity or reliable running water in the 1970’s.

[-] DrBob@lemmy.ca 18 points 1 year ago

A lot places didn't. My family comes from a rural location and there were places without telephone service in the 70s.

[-] SteveFromMySpace@lemmy.blahaj.zone 14 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I guess to expand further what was crazy to me was these were the people who were providing power and services to everyone else that they were not receiving themselves. Harlan County is coal mining country.

Edit: accidentally a word

[-] TexasDrunk@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

The house I grew up in didn't get running water until the 70s when my parents got it and put in a well.

[-] Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 points 1 year ago

I grew up in southern Appalachia, and the 90s my grandma would take me with her sometimes to check in on this elderly woman who lived alone in a house without running water. She had a well in her front yard and hauled all her water by hand. She lived into her 90s there taking care of herself. She did have electricity, but not AC.

Now for clarity this was EXTREMELY unusual which was why my grandma would check in on her a fair amount, along with other members of the community. But it’s definitely not that far in the past in some areas, for some families.