The Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum is a historical

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...

located in Sunnyvale,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. It is a replica of the original Martin Murphy family home. The Martin Murphy family, founders of the City of Sunnyvale, constructed the house in the 1850s. Since there were no sawmills near Sunnyvale at that time, they had the lumber milled and the house assembled to their specifications in Bangor, Maine, then shipped it in pieces around

Cape Horn Cape Horn ( es, Cabo de Hornos, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which are the Diego Ramí ...

to Sunnyvale, where it was reassembled. It was held together with wooden pegs and leather straps, and was the first wood-frame house in Sunnyvale. The Sunnyvale Historical Society obtained its designation as a California State Historical Landmark in 1958. It was demolished by the city in 1961 due to extensive damage following a fire.Kraatz, Cody (October 9, 2008)
"Hundreds attend opening of new Sunnyvale museum"
''Sunnyvale Sun''. The Sunnyvale Historical Museum was constructed as a replica at Sunnyvale Heritage Park next to the Sunnyvale Community Center, and was dedicated and opened in September, 2008, as a testament to the history of Sunnyvale and the contributions made by the Martin Murphy family towards the founding of Sunnyvale. It was funded through public donations and contributions from the State of California and the City of Sunnyvale. In the main exhibit room is a 60-foot mural of Sunnyvale history. Heritage Park also includes a Heritage Orchard of apricot trees and a barn with an outdoor interpretive exhibit on the agricultural history of the

Santa Clara Valley The Santa Clara Valley is a geologic trough in Northern California that extends 90 miles (145 km) south–southeast from San Francisco to Hollister. The longitudinal valley is bordered on the west by the Santa Cruz Mountains and on the east ...

. In December 2018, after removal of a park maintenance building, a new front entrance to the museum was created with additional outside exhibits.Kezra, Victoria (December 21, 2018). "Heritage Museum finishes entrance after a decade". ''Sunnyvale Sun''. pp. 1, 5.

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External links

Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum
{{Coord, 37.356548, -122.025544, display=title Buildings and structures demolished in 1961 Museums in Santa Clara County, California History museums in California Sunnyvale, California