History of the GC Murphy Building in downtown Ashland, KY
The building is currently under construction.
Located on Winchester Avenue in Downtown Ashland, the old G. C. Murphey building is getting a makeover! Purchased by EB Gevedon in 2017, there are big plans for this old building.
According to an interview conducted by the Daily Inependent on December 9, 2018, Dr. Gevendon decided to restore it back to what the community recognized as the final G.C. Murphy, from about 1949.
Dr. Gevendon was also quoted in the same article as saying, "What separated G.C. Murphy from all those other retailers I mentioned was (all the others) focused on the big cities," Gevedon said. "They went for the population. Murphy's was out of Pennsylvania and he (Mr. Murphy) understood coal country. He understood the coal company stores. He understood that people in small towns in Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and southern Ohio were forced to shop at company stores with no price competition. Mr. Murphy said..'There is a market out there in small town America' and he went in all over West Virginia and Kentucky and Southern Ohio as far west as Louisville and ended up as far south as Florida and built these stores. He ended up at a peak of about 500 stores and I think the final count when they were taken over by Ames in 1980s was 398. Our store was store # 17. It is one of the first ones they opened. After they took over the company it became their western district offices."
We can’t wait to see the end results!
Inside the newly remodeled space May 2020.
History of G. C. Murphy Company
G.C. Murphey Lunch Counter approximate date 1960. Photo credit unknown.
Before there were "fast-food" chains, Murphy's lunch counters in cities large and small united rich and poor, men and women, who needed a quick, cheap and filling "bite to eat" before returning to the office or factory.
According to the G. C. Murphey Website, “for more than 80 years, G.C. Murphy Co.™ connected people from all walks of life throughout the eastern and Midwestern United States. In small mining towns in Appalachia, Murphy's low-priced, quality merchandise liberated residents from the tyranny of coal company-owned stores. In beach and resort towns from Delaware to Florida, Murphy's stores offered vacationers a place to find inexpensive souvenirs and staple items like cosmetics”.
G.C. Murphy Co.™ Foundation Scholarship
The G.C. Murphy Co.™ Foundation maintains a scholarship fund at Penn State Greater Allegheny campus. Preference is given to descendants of G.C. Murphy Co.™ employees, but if no qualified students apply, other applicants from Western Pennsylvania are considered. Certain restrictions apply. Learn more about the scholarship here.
Resources:
Original Daily Independent Article from 12/09/2018
