Homes on Long Island have changed over the years. Farmhouses gave way to suburban neighborhoods, which seem to be giving way to downtown multifamily developments. Here we present five pictures of homes around Brookhaven Town from the old days.

 

These photos were taken by Eugene L. Armbruster, a New York photographer and local historian born in Baden-Baden, Germany. He emigrated to the United States 1882 and lived in Brooklyn, New York. Armbruster photographed historic houses, churches, streetscapes, and buildings. Some of the images he created served to illustrate pamphlets he wrote on the local history of the area. These photographs are identified as being taken in "Patchogue / Bell Port / Yaphank / Brookhaven / Middle Island / Selden / Corem."

 

Unidentified small wood house with even smaller cottage / addition to left, undated.

 

Photo: New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024, 212-873-3682. Rights management. This digital image may be used for educational or scholarly purposes without restriction. Commercial and other uses of the item are prohibited without prior written permission from the New-York Historical Society. For more information, please visit the New-York Historical Society's Rights and Reproductions Department web page at http://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions.

Unidentified abandoned wood-shake house with collapsing porch roof, undated.

 

Photo: New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024, 212-873-3682. Rights management. This digital image may be used for educational or scholarly purposes without restriction. Commercial and other uses of the item are prohibited without prior written permission from the New-York Historical Society. For more information, please visit the New-York Historical Society's Rights and Reproductions Department web page at http://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions.

Unidentified wood-shake farmhouse, barn, and garage, with car parked inside, undated.

 

Photo: New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024, 212-873-3682. Rights management. This digital image may be used for educational or scholarly purposes without restriction. Commercial and other uses of the item are prohibited without prior written permission from the New-York Historical Society. For more information, please visit the New-York Historical Society's Rights and Reproductions Department web page at http://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions.

Unidentified abandoned farmhouse and outbuildings, undated.

 

Photo: New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024, 212-873-3682. Rights management. This digital image may be used for educational or scholarly purposes without restriction. Commercial and other uses of the item are prohibited without prior written permission from the New-York Historical Society. For more information, please visit the New-York Historical Society's Rights and Reproductions Department web page at http://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions.

Unidentified small, ruined wood house in the woods.

 

Photo: New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024, 212-873-3682. Rights management. This digital image may be used for educational or scholarly purposes without restriction. Commercial and other uses of the item are prohibited without prior written permission from the New-York Historical Society. For more information, please visit the New-York Historical Society's Rights and Reproductions Department web page at http://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions.