Built c. 1844, Simon Truby’s brick home is one of the oldest buildings in Apollo, PA, a town established in 1816.
The exterior walls of Simon Truby’s house are 4 bricks deep, and they’re arranged in an American (or common) bond pattern, with 6 rows of lengthwise bricks sandwiched between single rows of crosswise “header” bricks. 
The American bond pattern is also seen in the brick houses built by Simon’s brother Capt. Henry Truby of Gilpin Twp. and by Dr. William McCullough at 323 First Street, Apollo.
Simon Truby’s 156-Acre Farm
In 1843, Simon Truby of Warren (now Apollo) purchased 156+ acres of land from Dr. James R. Speer and his wife Hettie of Pittsburgh, at a cost of $3,000. Truby’s original farm (in yellow below) included the north end of Apollo above 5th Street, parts of Oak Hill, Pegtown, and North Apollo up to about 16th Street.
Truby Farmland Circa 1890
Simon Truby’s land was mostly undeveloped in 1890. A decade later, the vacant field above the farmhouse became Oak Hill; the field below is now N 8th St. & higher in Apollo, PA.
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