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2010 One Book, One Community Program

For the Love of Murphy’s has been selected by the Westmoreland Library Network and Westmoreland Heritage for the county-wide 2010 One Book, One Community program. Across Westmoreland County, Pa., and in neighboring Allegheny County, 17 community libraries will be hosting book discussions.

Participants also will be invited to a special program on Saturday, Aug. 28 at McKeesport Heritage Center in McKeesport, Pa.

This program is being supported by Westmoreland Heritage, Westmoreland Library Network, the G.C. Murphy Co. Foundation and McKeesport Heritage Center.

For more details, click here.

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G.C. Murphy Co.: A retailing pioneer

Welcome to a website dedicated to the legacy of the G.C. Murphy Company and its employees, who served customers from the Canadian border to the Rio Grande with pride and distinction for four generations.

Here you’ll find a brief history of the company, a list of cities and towns where it operated, information about the G.C. Murphy Company Foundation, and details about the book that tells a new generation about Murphy’s, the important role it played in the lives of millions of Americans, and the stories of the people who made it great.

Maybe you just knew it as the “five and 10” ... or Morgan & Lindsey’s ... or Murphy’s Mart.

If you lived in Texas, perhaps you shopped at one of the department stores that Murphy’s operated under the names of Cobbs, Bruners and Terry Farris.

Or maybe you or some member of your family got their first job at a Murphy’s. But chances are, if you lived in the eastern United States during the 20th century, chances are that there was a G.C. Murphy Company store near you!

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Buy the Book!

To buy For the Love of Murphy’s, please visit your local bookstore. The book is available from Barnes & Noble, Borders and other retailers. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price is $34.95. If the book is not in stock, any bookstore may order it via ISBN number 978-0-271-03370-9.

If your bookstore is unwilling to order it for you, then please order directly from Penn State University Press. Call 1-800-326-9180 and ask for the special promotional discount “JT10.” The promotional price is $23.96 plus shipping, handling and Pennsylvania sales tax (if applicable).

For more information, check out our frequently asked questions.

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Book Corrections

We’re correcting mistakes that snuck into the first printing of the book: Book Errata

Beckley store added to courthouse complex

The former Beckley, W.Va., store is being remodeled as an annex for county court offices, reports the city’s newspaper, the Register-Herald. (May 8, 2010)

Store 12 apartments fully rented

All of the apartments in Market Square Place—the residential and office complex being developed in downtown Pittsburgh, Pa.’s former Store No. 12—are now rented, says the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. (April 20, 2010)

Ghost in the California, Pa., store?

Is there a ghost in the old California, Pa., G.C. Murphy Co. store? The California University of Pennsylvania Times finds out. And it remembers when the store was “the place to shop” in the small Monongahela River college town. (April 16, 2010)

Wheeling store gets slipcover

The vacant former Store No. 33 has been covered by a mural while city officials plan its redevelopment, according to the Wheeling, W.Va., Intelligencer. (April 15, 2010).

Remembering the Tuscaloosa Mart

The Sky City retail history blog remembers Alabama’s Meadowbrook Mall, which was anchored by Kroger and Murphy’s Mart when it opened in October 1977. (March 21, 2010)

Pub inside Store No. 123

Here's a review of the Red Lion Grog House, one of the tenants of the former Fountain Square store in Indianapolis. (March 11, 2010)

Funny story from a Murphy’s lunch counter

A blogger from Shreveport, La., named “Andy” has a funny story from the store in Shreve City Shopping Center. “One morning before the store opened up, Granddaddy dropped in for breakfast,” he begins. (Feb. 24, 2010)

Smell of peanuts triggers memories

It’s funny how particular odors can trigger memories, says Frank Frisch, columnist for the Middletown, Ohio, Journal. "Just opening a can of fresh roasted peanuts can bring back memories of walking into the G.C. Murphy store on a Saturday morning on the way to the Strand Theater." (Feb. 24, 2010)

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