Martin Murphy House

{{Short description|Historic site in Santa Clara County, California, United States}} {{Primary sources|date=December 2023}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}} {{Use American English|date=October 2023}} {{Infobox historic site | name = Martin Murphy House | other_name = Bay View, or Home Of Martin Murphy Jr. | native_name = | settlement_type = | founded = | founder = Martin Murphy Jr. | built = {{Start date|1850}} | built_for = | original_use = Home | demolished = 1961 | image = The Old Murphy Homestead.jpg | caption = Postcard of the Martin Murphy Jr. Homestead | location = 252 North Sunnyvale Avenue,<br /> Sunnyvale, California, U.S. | coordinates = {{coord|37|22|56|N|122|1|33|W|display=inline,title}} | locmapin = United States San Jose | map_caption = Location in Santa Clara County | designation1 = California | designation1_offname = Home of Martin Murphy Jr. | designation1_number = 644 | designation1_date = May 22, 1960 | website = {{Official URL}} }} The ''' Martin Murphy House''', or '''Bay View''' (1850–1961) was a historic home in Santa Clara County, California. It was the residence and farm 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.<ref name="Museum">{{Cite web|url=http://www.heritageparkmuseum.org/murphy.html|title=Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum - The Murphy Family Story|website=www.heritageparkmuseum.org}}</ref> 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 the former Murphy's residence at Murphy Park in Sunnyvale, California.<ref name="Parks">{{cite web|url=https://ohp.parks.ca.gov/ListedResources/Detail/644 |work=Office of Historic Preservation|title=Martin Murphy Home and Estate (Site)|date=April 28, 1958|access-date=October 2, 2023}}</ref><ref name="Roots"/>

==History== thumb|left|Replica of the Murphy House, Sunnyvale. alt=Martin Murphy Jr.|thumb|Martin Murphy Jr. Martin Murphy Jr. (1807–1884) 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.<ref name="Story"/><ref>{{cite web |title=The First Pioneer Wagons Crossed the Sierra Over 160 Years Ago |url=https://www.truckeehistory.org/the-first-pioneer-wagons-crossed-the-sierra-over-160-years-ago.html |website=Truckee-Donner Historical Society |access-date=29 August 2019}}</ref><ref name="Roots"/>

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 ({{Inflation|US|12500|1850|fmt=eq}}) 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.<ref name="Story">{{Cite web|url=https://heritageparkmuseum.org/sample-page/the-museum/murphy-story|title=The Murphy Story|website=Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum}}</ref><ref name="Ignoffo">{{cite book |last=Ignoffo|first=Mary Jo|title=Sunnyvale: From the City of Destiny to the Heart of Silicon Valley |year=1955 |publisher=California History Center & Foundation|url=https://archive.org/details/sunnyvalefromcit00igno/page/8/mode/2up?q=%22Martin+Murphy+Jr%22|place=Cupertino, California|isbn=9780935089172|pages=6–11|access-date=October 2, 2023}}</ref><ref name="Koning">{{Cite book|last1=Koning|first1=Ben |last2=Metz|first2=Anneke |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m5RXx950Ua4C&dq=%22Murphy%22+sunnyvale,+landmark+no.+644&pg=PA118|title=Sunnyvale |page=118|date=2011|publisher=Arcadia Pub.|isbn=9780738574356 |access-date=October 2, 2023}}</ref>

The Murphy family maintained their residency in the house until 1953.<ref name="Pioneer"/>{{rp|p18}}

The house was demolished in 1961 due to extensive termite and fire damage.<ref>{{cite news|author=Spencer Michels|place=Palo Alto, California|date=September 23, 1961|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-peninsula-times-tribune-murphy-house/132551875/|title=Historic Murphy home headed for axe|work=The Peninsula Times Tribune|access-date=October 2, 2023}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Museum"/><ref>{{cite news|author=Cody Kraatz|date=October 9, 2008|url=http://www.mercurynews.com/2008/10/09/hundreds-attend-opening-of-new-sunnyvale-museum/ |title=Hundreds attend opening of new Sunnyvale museum|work=The Mercury News|access-date=October 2, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://heritageparkmuseum.org/sample-page/the-museum/museum-construction/ |title=Museum Construction|work=Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum|access-date=October 2, 2023}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://heritageparkmuseum.org/sample-page/about |title=About Sunnyvale|work=Sunnyvale Heritage Park|place=Sunnyvale, California|access-date=October 2, 2023}}</ref>

==State historical landmark== thumb|right|Martin Murphy Home plaque

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.<ref name="Roots">{{cite news|author=Lola Sherman|place=Palo Alto, California|date=May 20, 1960|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-peninsula-times-tribune-landmark/136804765/|title=Sunnyvale's Murphy house. Family had roots in Ireland, were first settlers to cross Sierra to California|work=The Peninsula Times Tribune|access-date=December 14, 2023}}</ref><ref name="Pioneer">{{cite book |author=Gabrielle Sullivan |date=1974 |title=Martin Murphy, Jr., California Pioneer, 1844-1884 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lZQ8AAAAIAAJ&q=%201785-1865 |access-date=2023-12-13 |publisher=Pacific Center for Western Historical Studies, University of the Pacific|isbn=9780931156045 }}</ref>{{rp|p54}}

The inscription on the plaque reads: {{blockquote|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.<ref name="Parks"/>}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{commons category}} * [https://heritageparkmuseum.org/ Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum] * [https://www.sunnyvale.ca.gov/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/52/456 Murphy Park]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin Murphy House}} Category:1850 establishments in California Category:1961 disestablishments in California Category:Cities in Santa Clara County, California Category:Buildings and structures demolished in 1961 Category:Demolished buildings and structures in California Category:History of Santa Clara County, California Category:Murphy family (California) Sunnyvale Category:Populated places in the United States established in 1850