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Deana Wright, Manager
270-759-9474
101 South 4th St.
(Union Planters Bank building
downtown, 3rd floor)
E-mail
Calloway County certainly has a rich history. Downtown Murray served everyone. It was the place where you traded your livestock or goods, bought groceries, saw the doctor, boarded a bus, sold your tobacco crop, got your prescription filled, saw a movie, and the list goes on and on. Our heritage is crucial to who we are today. It’s a mirror. It tells us who we are, how we got here, and where we want to go. Our town was built on the agriculture of the county. This industry shaped our community. It’s prosperity and forward thinking enabled Murray to grow to where it is today. Our heritage deserves to be remembered and preserved. Our downtown reflects our rich past. Our aim is to cherish and preserve our downtown because there is no other like it.Here is a sampling of photographs and memories from yesteryear...
This photograph of Stubbefield and Sledd was located where McNutt Insurance stands today. It was most likely taken in the late 1800's.
South side of the Court Square circa late 1800's which was later totally destroyed by fire. The H. Wear Drug store on the left.
Every fourth Monday of every month was one of the biggest and busiest days of the year in Murray. It was also referred to as "Trade Day" or "Mule Day", when people for miles around brought their Mules and other goods to town for sale or trade. Medicine Men shows were often side attractions. The First United Methodist church is in the right background.
Another photograph of "Mule Day". Judging from the truck, this one was taken many years after the previous photograph.
Photograph of the J.H. Churchhill and Brother Undertaker shop taken in the late 1800's. This building was located near the intersection of Third and Maple Streets not far from the present day J.H. Churchill Funeral Home who advertise their business as "J.H. Churchill since 1886".
Stubblefield Drugstore located on the corner of 5th and Main Streets where Lewis Drake is currently located. Note the names of the various people in the photograph.
Another photo of the Stubblefield Drugstore. This one was taken several years after the previous photograph. Note: At one time there were four drugstores on the square at once. It was where you went on Saturday night just to “people watch”. Everyone had a favorite store or story about goings on at the square. It was a busy place!
Photograph of the Bank of Murray on East Main Street where the Union Planters Bank currently resides. This photograph was most likely taken about 1920 judging from the Ford Model T parked out front.
A.B. Beale and Sons Hardware store was a very popular store but finally closed in the late 1970's. Murray Appliance currently resides at this location on the corner of Third and Main Streets.
Late 1800's photograph of a horse and buggy in front of the Love and Miller Coffin Shop.
Is this a great photograph or what!!! The little boy feeding the dog ice cream in the picture with this caption is W.J. Pitman, a long time Murray resident.
This is a picture of the West side of the Court House square. The Bull Pen is now housed in the building with the balcony near the center of the block. The adjacent alley which was later bricked in and eventually became Wimpy's Shoe store and Shoe Repair. Note the presence of the First Christian Church in the background.
An important photograph of a stationary "Honor Roll" erected adjacent to the Court House and listing the many names. Most likely it was taken shortly after the conclusion of the Second World War.
Rudy's Restaurant, still a landmark after all these years! Rudy's Restaurant was located in four other locations before finally moving to the current location of Fifth Street downtown.
What is believed to be a parade marking one of Murray State University's homecoming celebrations. The band is seen going west on Main Street. Note the presence of Corn Austin (right center), another of Murray's long time business establishments.
A photograph taken of the interior of the luxurious Varsity Movie Theatre on West Main Street taken about 1938 shortly after it opened. Sadly, the theatre burned down on a cold winter day nearly 30 years ago from unknown causes. Twin Lakes Office Supply currently resides there. If you look closely you can still see remnants of the art deco fade on the exterior of the building.
A Court House photograph taken in the early 1940's. This 3-story brick Classical Revival structure still sits in the middle of the town square. It was constructed of buff-color brick with stone details, such as quoins, window lintels, and belt courses. Each of the four sides has a 3-story Classical portico with Ionic columns supporting a frieze and triangular pediment. A bracketed cornice runs around the building. On top of the building is an 8-sided cupola with a dome top and dormer clocks on four sides. The only original features on the interior are the iron staircase banisters and marble wainscoting. A stone Confederate War memorial with a statue of Robert E. Lee stands at the northeast corner of the square.
An early 1940's photograph of the North side of the Court House Square. Note the Junction KY 95 sign which was later removed when the current Rt. 641 came into existence.
This is a recent photograph of the Confederate Memorial on the Square. This rather complicated monument consists of a granite slab base supporting a four-columned canopy topped by marble ball on each corner. Atop the canopy is a base supporting a life-sized marble statue of General Robert E. Lee. Beneath the arches formed by the canopy and in the center of the Doric columns, a porcelain drinking fountain rests, with an ornate iron light fixture featuring four incandescent bulbs above and iron fence enclosures around. The drinking fountain was operated by a step pedal. The total height of the monument is approximately 16.5 feet. Note: This statue was carved in Italy from world renowned carrara marble.
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