Langley Centennial Museum
Hello, Guest
Add As Favorite
Language
Viewing Object
Print
Saved List Options
My Saved List
Select
/
Clear
Create a New Saved List
Add
Object Description
Share
Object ID
2669
Title
Sharon Presbyterian Church at Murray's Corners.
Date
1900.
Description
First Sharon Presbyterian Church built in 1889 at Murray's corners. Site ediface donated by Harry Mutrie. The contractor was Johnston K. Nelsons and Sons.
People/Subject
Five Corners - Murrayville
Five Corners intersection is where five roads all meet at one point in Murrayville. The streets are Old Yale Road, 48 Avenue; and 216 street. Paul Murray chose to homestead here in 1874 and after the Yale road was completed, Murray's son, Billy, built a hotel here to cater to travelers passing through on their way to the Interior. This was the first permanent building in the settlement that came to be known as Murray's Corners. In 1889 the brush was cleared for the construction of the first church in the area, Sharon Presbyterian Church. Further developments occurred rapidly, and Murray's Corners became one of the most important settlements in Langley. The settlement grew up as a service area for travelers and for the local agricultural community. Now called Murrayville, it retains a number of early buildings from all eras of it development, from the earliest church and hotel (1880's), to later farmhouses and barns (1900's to 1910's) , a school; and early suburban residence (1910's), and a later store, church and community hall (1920's to 1930's). This concentration of heritage buildings is a significant community resource, and remains as an important reminder of an earlier way of life in Langley. Today this heritage precinct is still centred on the Five Corners intersection, which remains the heart of the Murrayville community.
Murray's Corner (Murrayville before 1911)
Paul Murray was born in Ireland in 1811 and immigrated to Canada with his family at the age of eighteen. the Murray family settled in Oxford County, Ontario, and ten years later Paul married Lucy Bruce. They bought land in Zorra and had seven children together. In May 1874, after his children were grown, Paul left Ontario and relocated in B.C., accompanied by three of his sons. Their first home in Langley was a roughly built shelter they made for themselves from a gigantic fir tree, and after his wife and two of his daughters arrived, they all lived there together. After these humble beginnings, Murray opened a hotel on Old Yale Road to service travelers making their way into the interior, building up a reputation as one of the finest carpenters in the area. The corner where the hotel was eventually came to be known as Murray's Corners, as the family had 160 acres of land on each corner. Murray's Corners eventually came to be known as Murrayville, and all of Paul's sons worked on Old Yale Road, building more hotels and other businesses to increase commerce. Paul was an ordained church elder, during a time when there were no official churches and services were held in a small schoolhouse on the corner of Glover Road and Old Yale Road. Holding the title of founder of Murrayville, Paul Murray died in 1903. Murray's Corners did not officially become Murrayville until 1911, when the local post office changed its name to Murrayville Post Office.
Sharon Presbyterian (United) Church
During the presbyterian ministry of Reverend Alexander Tait in the late 1880's this site was donated by Henry Mutrie for the construction of a new church. The lumber was obtained from a mill located two miles to the east. The name for th church is taken from the Song of solomon, chapter1, verse 2, "I am the rose of sharon and the lily of the valleys". In 1925, with the unification of the church, this became the home of the united congregation; those that remained presbyterian constructed a new church on 216A Street. A new entry has been added to the simple form of the church, and a new hall built at the rear. It is, however, a well maintained local area landmark and provides the community with important link to it first settlement.
Print
Saved List Options
My Saved List
Select
/
Clear
Create a New Saved List
Add
Argus v4.4.0.36 - Langley Centennial Museum