…at 22 Bibb Street, the present-day offices of the Montgomery Water Works, was built in 1851 for John Murphy, a cotton broker who moved here from Virginia and quickly amassed a goodly fortune. He built this outstanding example of Greek Revival architecture as evidence of his financial status, and there supported his large household in grand style. Sadly, Murphy died in 1859, leaving his unequipped widow to contend with a dwindling fortune. Yet, the house remained a center of social activity, where the likes of Jefferson Davis and William Lowndes were frequent visitors. At one time it was the home of the prestigious Beauvoir Club. In 1930 the house became an Elks Lodge, and during the 1950s it was a  VFW club. In 1970 it was saved from the wrecking ball by the Water Works Board of Directors. Out of the numerous landmarks that stood in this neighborhood ca 1850, the Murphy House is one of only three that have survived. The house was added to the National Registry of Historic Places in 1972.

-Charles Humphries