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William Walton Murphy House

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1845–1850, Jonathan B. Graham, construction supervisor; 1911 porch. 305 W. Chicago St.
  • (Photograph by Balthazar Korab)

In 1837, the year Michigan achieved statehood, William Murphy came to Jonesville. Migrating from Seneca County, New York, he had spent two years working as the land agent for the federal government in Monroe. In Jonesville he opened a law office and a land agency and within a few years began construction of this symmetrical, two-story, five-bay Greek Revival house with a rear wing. Brick manufactured in nearby Moscow probably furnished the building material. A restrained, fluted Ionic-columned porch adds dignity and formality to this house. The interior contains a ballroom and was fitted with marble fireplaces and fancy plasterwork. The house was the scene of many social events connected with Murphy's career as lawyer, publisher, and statesman. Daniel Webster, Horace Greeley, Theodore Parker, and other notable people visited here.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Kathryn Bishop Eckert
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Data

What's Nearby

Munro House (George C. Munro House)
Grosvenor House Museum (Ebenezer Oliver and Sally Ann Grosvenor House)
Grace Episcopal Church
Central Hall, Hillsdale College
Hillsdale City Hall

Citation

Kathryn Bishop Eckert, "William Walton Murphy House", [Jonesville, Michigan], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/MI-01-HI13.

Print Source

Cover: Buildings of Michigan

Buildings of Michigan, Kathryn Bishop Eckert. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2012, 194-195.

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