Murphy Building

Brothers John C. Murphy (1816-71) and James M. Murphy (b. 1820) of Tennessee came to Jefferson, Texas, in 1850. They owned a wholesale cotton firm and were prominent businessmen. In the early 1850s they built this structure as a warehouse in the riverfront district. In 1884 the building was remodeled for county offices and courts. In 1915 it became the city hall, with space for the Chesterfield Dance Club and the Jefferson Volunteer Fire Department. A Diebold safe, installed in 1877, continues to serve the building, again used for county offices.