Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum
Just a short drive down El Camino Real in Sunnyvale, CA lies a little gem of a museum tucked away in Heritage Park. The Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum is housed in two of the oldest buildings in Sunnyvale, the Murphy House and the Farmhouse. The museum grounds also feature a one-room schoolhouse, a blacksmith shop, and a working train depot.
The Murphy House is the older of the two houses on the property, having been built in 1884 by Timothy Murphy, one of Sunnyvale’s first residents. The house was originally located on Murphy Avenue (hence the name), but was moved to its current location in 1977. The house has been restored to look as it did in the late 19th century and is furnished with period-appropriate furniture and decorations.
The Farmhouse was built in 1901 by John William Davis, another early settler of Sunnyvale. The house originally sat on a farm that occupied what is now downtown Sunnyvale. In 1955, the farmhouse was moved to its current location next to the Murphy House. Like the Murphy House, the Farmhouse has been restored to look as it did at the turn of the 20th century and is also furnished with period-appropriate furniture and decorations.
In addition to the two houses, visitors to the museum can also step back in time by touring the one-room schoolhouse, blacksmith shop, and train depot. The schoolhouse was originally built in 1889 and served as Sunnyvale’s first school until it was closed in 1918. The blacksmith shop was built in 1892 and operated as a working blacksmith shop until 1963. The train depot was built in 1893 and served as a stop on Southern Pacific Railroad’s San Francisco to San Jose line until 1971. Today, all three buildings have been restored to their original appearance and are open for tours during museum hours.
The Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum is a great place to spend an afternoon if you’re looking for a dose of history or just want to get out of the Silicon Valley bubble for awhile. Admission is free for all visitors, so there’s no excuse not to go check it out!
