History of Murray IA 100 years

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As you observe the Centennial of your community,
I salute the contribution which you have made to
our nation's history and to the success that it records.

Your industry and initiative reflect the finest
qualities of our American life.
In saluting your past courage, I hope that the
coming years will bring you the growing satisfaction
of dreams fulfilled.

It's a difficult job trying to assemble a book covering over 100 years in the period of a few months. Without the help and cooperation of many people the task would have been impossible. The names are too numerous to mention but we have certainly appreciated those who have helped make this book a reality. With the material collected we could have printed volumes and consequently the material has had to be condensed in order to cover the full 100 years. We realize some parts will be more interesting to some than other but hope we have included enough different phases of the town's history so there will be something of interest for all. Because of lack of space we were unable to include a complete business listing throughout the 100 year span. Our biographical sketches of the early settlers include only a few of the histories of the brave pioneers that pushed their way westward. The main part of these were taken from the Biographical and Historical Record of Clarke County for 1886, and was not a complete list of the early residents. The information included is correct to the best of our knowledge and have tried to obtain correct spelling of names and places

The information has been derived from early newspapers, scrap books, clippings and memories. We appreciate the generous contributions of pictures and regret we didn't have room for all of them. Murray has had many ups and downs in the past 100 years and from looking at the over all picture of its progress it seems as though fires and the depression have taken a large toll, and a decline was noticed after the improvement of highways and vehicles. 1968 showed a community spirit never dreamed possible after the tragic fire on New Years Day. After the decision was made to try and rebuild the offers of help that poured in were remarkable. The concern of the local people as well as of the surrounding area has really been heart warming. With the interest and determination of so many people pulling together towards the progress of the town how can it possibly fail? If the spirit continues and the Lord willing surely another 100 years will see Murray still here and proud of the community they have continued to keep alive. All proceeds from the sale of this Centennial Book will go to the community building fund. JOAN CALLISON

Joan and Jack Callison, Curtis and Nora Burgus, Darrell and Beverly Carson, John and Janice Henderson. Special Articles —Eastern Star, Mrs. Ernest Gaumer; Masonic Lodge, Bernard Allen; Madison Chapel, Mrs. Hiram Kirk, Mrs. Joe Kirk; Union Church, Mrs. Milan Welker; Lions Club, Clarence Arnold;

American Legion, Leonard Wolfe; 4-H, Mrs. Darrell Carson; Post Office, Mrs. Harold Maffett; Odd Fellows, Rebeccas, Pearl Kluht; Banks, Betty Jackson; Library, Leila Tillotson and Annis Jones; Hopeville, Mrs. Donald Booth; Thayer, Janice Henderson; School, Eva Shannon; history research, Annis Jones; Sketches of the town, Gary Robins.

Administrator note:: Due to the large number of pages and graphics, this has been split up into many pages to speed up page loading.

Administrator note:: Every attempt has been made to publish this exactly as it was in the original book, including any misspellings or other errors.