Home of Martin Murphy Jr. Martin Murphy, Jr., arrived in California with his family in 1844 in the first wagon train to cross the Sierra Nevada. The founder of Sunnyvale, he constructed here his house of pre-fabricated lumber, brought around the Horn in 1849. Members of the Murphy family lived here continuously until 1953, when the property was acquired by the City of Sunnyvale. California Registered Historical Landmark No. 644 Plaque placed by the California State Park Commission in cooperation with the City of Sunnyvale and the Sunnyvale Historical Society. May 22, 1960.