Martin Murphy House | |
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Bay View or Home Of Martin Murphy Jr. | |
![]() Postcard of the Martin Murphy Jr. Homestead | |
Location | 252 North Sunnyvale Avenue, Sunnyvale, California, US |
Coordinates | 37°22′56″N122°1′33″W / 37.38222°N 122.02583°W |
Founder | Martin Murphy Jr. |
Built | 1850 |
Original use | Home |
Demolished | 1961 |
Official name | Home of Martin Murphy Jr. |
Designated | Mary 22, 1960 |
Reference no. | 644 |
Location in Santa Clara County |
The Martin Murphy House was a historic home located in Santa Clara County, California. It was the residence of Martin Murphy Jr., who journeyed to California with his family in 1844, as part of the first wagon train to cross the Sierra Nevada. As the founder of Sunnyvale, Murphy constructed a prefabricated lumber house in the area, which had been transported around Cape Horn in 1849. It was the first frame house in the area. [1] The Murphy family maintained their residency in the house until 1953 when the city of Sunnyvale took ownership of the property. In 1961, a fire destroyed the house. The California Historical Landmark #644 marks the location of Murphy's residence at Murphy Park in Sunnyvale. [2] [3]
Martin Murphy Jr. (1807-1884) [4] moved to California with his family in 1844, becoming part of a pioneering wagon train that was the first to cross the Sierra Mountains in 1844. The Stephens–Townsend–Murphy Party wagon train was composed of the Stephens family, Townsend family, and the Murphy family, and used oxen to pull their covered wagons. [5] [6] [3]
In 1849, Murphy Jr. relocated to the Santa Clara Valley and purchased half of the Rancho Pastoria de las Borregas from Mariano Castro for $12,500 (equivalent to $439,700in 2022) in 1850. Murphy established a wheat farm and cattle ranch. In 1850, he commissioned a prefabricated wood-frame house from a lumber mill in New England. He arranged for it to be shipped around Cape Horn and then reconstructed on his newly acquired property. Due to its unobstructed view of the southern region of San Francisco Bay, the Murphy family renamed it "Bay View." The 20-room home was located at 252 North Sunnyvale Avenue. [5] [7] [8]
The Murphy family maintained their residency in the house until 1953 [9] : p18 when the city of Sunnyvale took ownership of the property. The building became infested with termites and subsequently endured a fire, resulting in significant scorching and water damage. In 1954, most city council members leaned towards supporting demolition, despite facing opposition from concerned citizens. In 1956, the Sunnyvale Historical Society spearheaded the effort to save the home. [8] : p118
The house was demolished in 1961 due to extensive termite and fire damage. [10] The Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum constructed a replica of the Murphy House next to the Sunnyvale Community Center. The dedicated and opening took place in October 2008, serving as a tribute to the contributions made by the Murphy family. [1] [11] [12] A small museum was established in Murphy Park with the purpose of safeguarding and showcasing preserved artifacts from the Murphy house and other aspects Sunnyvale's history. [13]
On May 22, 1960, the California State Park Commission in cooperation with the city of Sunnyvale and the Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum erected a commemorative plaque, that designates the site as California Historical Landmark #644, the homesite of Martin Murphy Jr. The marker is at 250 North Sunnyvale Avenue. [3] [9] : p54
The inscription on the plaque reads:
Martin Murphy, Jr., arrived in California with his family in 1844 in the first wagon train to cross the Sierra Nevada. The founder of Sunnyvale, he constructed here his house of pre-fabricated lumber brought around the Horn in 1849. Members of the Murphy family lived here continuously until 1953, when the property was acquired by the City of Sunnyvale. The house was destroyed by fire in 1961. [2]
Murphys, originally Murphys New Diggings then Murphy's Camp, is an unincorporated village located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains in Calaveras County, California, United States. The population was 2,213 at the 2010 census, up from 2,061 at the 2000 census.
Morgan Hill is a city in Santa Clara County, California, at the southern tip of Silicon Valley in the San Francisco Bay Area. Morgan Hill is an affluent residential community, the seat of several high-tech companies, and a dining, entertainment, and recreational destination, owing to its luxury hospitality, wineries, and nature parks.
Sunnyvale is a city located in the Santa Clara Valley in northwest Santa Clara County in the U.S. state of California.
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The Stephens–Townsend–Murphy Party consisted of ten families who migrated from Iowa to California prior to the Mexican–American War and the California Gold Rush. The Stephens Party is significant in California history because they were the first wagon train to cross the Sierra Nevada during the expansion of the American West. In 1844, they pioneered the first route at or near what was later named Donner Pass. The crossing was a year before the third expedition of John C. Fremont, two years before the Donner Party, and five years before the 1848–49 Gold Rush. Three other known European exploration crossings of the Sierra Nevada had previously occurred at points south of this however, including Fremont's second expedition the previous winter, at Carson Pass.
Elijah Stephens also spelled Elisha Stevens was a blacksmith and trapper who was born in South Carolina. In 1844, he left Council Bluffs, Iowa as the captain of the Stephens-Townsend-Murphy Party, the first wagon train to cross the Sierra Nevada mountains into Alta California. He then moved to Cupertino, California, in 1848. Stevens Creek is named after him.
The Superior Court of California for and in the County of Santa Clara is the state trial court in and for Santa Clara County, California.
The Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum is a historical museum located in Sunnyvale, California. It is a replica of the original Martin Murphy family home.
Rancho Pastoría de las Borregas was a 9,066-acre (36.69 km2) Mexican land grant in present day Santa Clara County, California, United States, given in 1842 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Francisco Estrada. The name means "Ranch of the Ewe/Lamb Pasture" in Spanish. The rancho lands encompassed the present day cities of Sunnyvale and Mountain View.
Rancho Ojo de Agua de la Coche was a 8,927-acre (3,613 ha) Mexican land grant in present-day Santa Clara County, California given in 1835 by Governor José Figueroa to Juan María Hernandez. The name means "pig's spring". The grant extended south from Rancho Laguna Seca (Alvires) between Coyote Creek and Llagas Creek, and encompassed present-day Morgan Hill.
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