Murphy was named for North Carolina politician Archibald Murphey.
He was influential in educational advances for the people of North Carolina in the early 19th Century.
The original spelling of the town was to be "Murphey" but the "e" was lost, or dropped at some point in history.
Before the town name was changed to Murphy, the settlement was named "Hunnington/ Huntington" after A.R.S. Hunter.
He established the first Trading Post prior to 1828, where he would trade with the Cherokee, Early Settlers, and U.S. Army Soldiers on expeditions, or stationed at nearby Fort Butler.
He was also the settlement's first Post Master, erecting the first Post Office.

The site of Murphy, along the Hiwassee River, was known to the Cherokee as Tlanusi-yi (the Leech Place), because of a legend about a giant leech named Tlanusi that lived in the river there.

The Trading Path (later called the "Unicoi Turnpike") passed by the future site of Murphy, connecting the Cherokee lands east of the mountains with the "Overhill Towns" of Tennessee.

In 1836, during the Cherokee removal known as the Trail of Tears, the United States army built Fort Butler in what is today Murphy.
Fort Butler acted as the main collection point for Cherokee east of the mountains.
From Fort Butler the Cherokee were taken over the mountains on the Unicoi Turnpike to the main internment camps at Fort Cass (today Charleston, Tennessee).
Today the Unicoi Turnpike is known as the Joe Brown Highway.
Fort Butler is no longer a structure, but the site can be visited with historical markers to read.
The Cherokee County Historical Museum located in Murphy provides information about the Trail of Tears.

Cherokee County was formed in 1839 from a portion of Macon County, but Murphy wasn't incorporated as the county seat until 1851.

Murphy was once the terminus of the two train lines.
The Mineral Bluff, GA spur line (L&N Railroad) came out of North GA and the Murphy Branch (Southern Railroad) came from Asheville.
The L&N line was removed in the mid-1980s.
The tracks for the Murphy Branch remain but are inoperable.
It has been idle since the mid-1990s when the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad discontinued service between Murphy and Andrews.
The L&N Depot remains as a community center just southwest of downtown Murphy.
Murphy was the home of the once well-known crafts manufacturer Margaret Studios, which operated a nationwide chain of gift stores for its woodcraft products and housewares, such as lazy Susans and gift trays.

Folklorist John Jacob Niles based his well-known Christmas song "I Wonder as I Wander" on a phrase he heard in a song sung by the young daughter of a group of traveling evangelists in downtown Murphy on July 16, 1933.

Architect James Baldwin designed the Cherokee County Courthouse, located in downtown Murphy, in a Beaux-Arts style.
Built in 1927, it is faced with locally sourced blue marble and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places along with the Robert Lafayette Cooper House and Harshaw Chapel and Cemetery.
The County has had multiple prior courthouses, all have been burned down, or replaced by improved versions.
 The first court sessions in the county were held at Fort Butler.
Murphy was named for North Carolina politician Archibald Murphey. He was influential in educational advances for the people of North Carolina in the early 19th Century. The original spelling of the town was to be "Murphey" but the "e" was lost, or dropped at some point in history. Before the town name was changed to Murphy, the settlement was named "Hunnington/ Huntington" after A.R.S. Hunter. He established the first Trading Post prior to 1828, where he would trade with the Cherokee, Early Settlers, and U.S. Army Soldiers on expeditions, or stationed at nearby Fort Butler. He was also the settlement's first Post Master, erecting the first Post Office. 
The site of Murphy, along the Hiwassee River, was known to the Cherokee as Tlanusi-yi (the Leech Place), because of a legend about a giant leech named Tlanusi that lived in the river there.
The Trading Path (later called the "Unicoi Turnpike") passed by the future site of Murphy, connecting the Cherokee lands east of the mountains with the "Overhill Towns" of Tennessee.
In 1836, during the Cherokee removal known as the Trail of Tears, the United States army built Fort Butler in what is today Murphy. Fort Butler acted as the main collection point for Cherokee east of the mountains. From Fort Butler the Cherokee were taken over the mountains on the Unicoi Turnpike to the main internment camps at Fort Cass (today Charleston, Tennessee). Today the Unicoi Turnpike is known as the Joe Brown Highway. Fort Butler is no longer a structure, but the site can be visited with historical markers to read. The Cherokee County Historical Museum located in Murphy provides information about the Trail of Tears.
Cherokee County was formed in 1839 from a portion of Macon County, but Murphy wasn't incorporated as the county seat until 1851.
Murphy was once the terminus of the two train lines. The Mineral Bluff, GA spur line (L&N Railroad) came out of North GA and the Murphy Branch (Southern Railroad) came from Asheville. The L&N line was removed in the mid-1980s. The tracks for the Murphy Branch remain but are inoperable. It has been idle since the mid-1990s when the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad discontinued service between Murphy and Andrews. The L&N Depot remains as a community center just southwest of downtown Murphy. Murphy was the home of the once well-known crafts manufacturer Margaret Studios, which operated a nationwide chain of gift stores for its woodcraft products and housewares, such as lazy Susans and gift trays.
Folklorist John Jacob Niles based his well-known Christmas song "I Wonder as I Wander" on a phrase he heard in a song sung by the young daughter of a group of traveling evangelists in downtown Murphy on July 16, 1933.
Architect James Baldwin designed the Cherokee County Courthouse, located in downtown Murphy, in a Beaux-Arts style. Built in 1927, it is faced with locally sourced blue marble and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places along with the Robert Lafayette Cooper House and Harshaw Chapel and Cemetery. The County has had multiple prior courthouses, all have been burned down, or replaced by improved versions.  The first court sessions in the county were held at Fort Butler.
Murphy, North Carolina