The LaFayette Foundry stood on this site, built in 1836 by Alexander Boyles. The operation employed many laborers, and the success of the industry led Joseph Northrup, Jr. and Mr. and Mrs. John Cummins to sell building lots along Union Turnpike, now Route 15. This growth contributed to the establishment of Lafayette by the N.J. State Legislature on March 20, 1845. By the 1850 Census, the population had grown to 927. Thereafter, the foundry business and population declined. Before the building was razed in 1900, it was used as an apartment house. The population then was 717.