The land on which this house was built at the northwest corner of Lafayette Street and South Union Avenue was owned by Robert R. Vandiver (1805-1885) in 1857 and sold by his heirs in 1919 to John Welsh. John Welsh also owned the land north of this on South Union Avenue and built the home at 700 South Union Avenue for his family. John Welsh served as the City Bailiff from 1892 until 1907 and again from 1910 and 1911.

In 1931, John Welsh sold this property to D. Franklin Beck (1894-1979) and his wife, Frances Beck, who most likely built this home. Beck was an expert trapshooter—in 1940 he captured the national amateur trapshooting title at 16-yard targets in the 35th Annual Championships at the New York Athletic Club’s Travers Island layout. Beck and his wife sold the home in 1939 to Otis Snyder (1897-1966) and Steele Snyder, his wife, who made this their home for about 25 years.

After Otis died, Steele sold the house to Frank and Virginia DiMauro. Frank was from a large Italian family in Havre de Grace born to Biaggio DiMauro (1890-1951) and Josephine Marchioni DiMauro, who had come here from Italy. During the 20 years that Frank and Virginia owned this home, they expanded it by enlarging the kitchen and adding a laundry room, family room, bathroom, and back porch.

The next owners in 1990 were David K. Beyer and the late Norman K. “Skip” Moulsdale who most likely bought this as an investment property. Seven years later, they sold the house to Christopher and Katherine Ragan. In 2018, the Ragans opened their home to the Annual Candlelight Tour. They enjoy holding bonfires and outdoor parties in their large back garden (stretching along Lafayette Street), especially for the 4th of July Parade. With its cedar shake siding, chickens in the back yard, and wood-burning stove in the family room, the home exudes a rustic and cozy style.

County Records
Built 1930. 2012 sq ft, 2 stories with basement, 1 bath, 9,900 sq ft lot.