This photo from the Eugene Armbruster collection shows what was the Jeromus Rapelje house. Capt. Jeromus Rapelje was born on September 14, 1717, in Newtown to Joris Rapelje and his wife, Agnus Berrien. He married Wyntje Lent on December 1, 1738, in his hometown. They had eight children in 15 years. He died on June 15, 1776, at the age of 58 and was hastily buried due to a rumor that the Patriots were seeking to inflict punishment on the family, which was loyal to the English crown and did not support the American Revolutionaries. Louis B. Myers, a plasterer, was the occupant of the home at the time this photo was taken. The brick buildings adjoining the white house were built in a style much like the Mathews Homes. The land next to the Rapelje house was vacant, a trolley pole was tucked behind an early model truck, and there were high wires attached to a telephone pole over Grand Ave.

Today, the empty land and the space that previously hosted the Rapelje house contain bungalow style rowhouses. The Mathews style homes are still present, but the telephone pole and its wires are not. A bike lane is painted along this section of Grand and replacing the plasterer’s truck is a boxy modern car.