Hidden behind a wrought-iron gate in the parking lot of the Sunnyvale Community Center stands the Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum, a white and green, two-story Victorian farmhouse.
The Murphy's house, version 3.0
The building is a recreation of the home of Martin Murphy, one of the earliest settlers in the valley and the founder of Sunnyvale. The product of a long and deconstructed history, the original Murphy home was first built in Maine in 1850. It was then taken apart and shipped, IKEA-style, around the horn of Africa to what would eventually be called Sunnyvale, but what was known back then as Murphy Station. That first house burned down in the 1960’s and the current building is a replica based on photographs of the original.
Living large, Murphy style
The Murphys were a wealthy family who knew how to live large. When Mr. and Mrs. Murphy held their 50th wedding anniversary in 1881 the result was the largest private party ever held in California, with more than 10,000 people celebrating at the Murphy home. If that statistic isn't impressive enough, consider this: back then their house had no indoor plumbing and no bathrooms.
What's inside the Murphy's house now
Not to worry, the current Murphy house/Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum has plenty of both. More importantly, inside you’ll find recreations of the Murphy’s rooms, including the family parlor, dining room, as well as a pantry and bedrooms, all filled with a mix of original and period-correct furnishings.
Other exhibits include artifacts spanning the life of Sunnyvale from its agricultural beginnings to its technological present.
The jewel of the museum is a mural that wraps around an entire room, providing viewers with a panoramic view of Sunnyvale’s history from the original Native American inhabitants, to early apricot farmers, through its transformation into the heart of Silicon Valley.
If you go
The museum is open Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 12 to 4pm.
Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum
570 East Remington Drive
Sunnyvale, CA 94087
(408) 749-0220
www.heritageparkmuseum.org
Comments
Very cool! Can hardly wait to visit...
gary
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