Oct 17, 2007

Historical home recreation gets boost

Sunnyvale pitches in money for paving and landscaping

By Melanie Carroll / Daily News Staff Writer

Before there was ibuprofen or aspirin there was feverfew, a plant used in the 19th century to reduce fevers and combat headaches.

The flowering plant with citrus-scented leaves is slated to be among the medicinal herbs featured in the gardens near Sunnyvale's new Heritage Museum, said Laura Babcock, chairwoman of the Sunnyvale Historical Society and Museum Association.

Tuesday night, the Sunnyvale City Council signed off on a $140,000 contribution to cover a portion of the landscaping and hardscaping work near the museum, which is slated for completion in September.

The centerpiece of the $2.7 million project is a near-replica of the 20-room home of Martin Murphy Jr., the man credited with founding Sunnyvale before the Gold Rush. The project, which has been under way for five years, includes a 10-acre apricot orchard.

More than $100,000 was raised by selling bricks and tiles, which will display the laser-inscribed names of donors' choosing, Babcock said.

Santa Clara County's first frame house, in which Murphy lived until his death in 1884, sat on a 4,000-acre ranch.

During the summer of 1881, thousands of visitors descended upon the home, some by way of train, for the 50th wedding anniversary of Murphy Jr., and his wife, Mary.

In an effort not to offend anyone they had forgotten, the couple put an ad in a local newspaper inviting people to their fete, Babcock said.

"They were one of the most gracious families," Babcock said. "They hired trains to bring people" from San Jose and San Francisco.

The celebration reportedly spanned three days.


E-mail Melanie Carroll at mcarroll@dailynewsgroup.com.