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South Main: The Murray- Page House, 1906

The home of Dr. J.L. Murray, located on South Main Street, has become a project for a Lexington citizen.
Photo By: W. Clay Crook / The Lexington Progress

Article by W. Clay Crook-

When I was growing up in the 1960’s and early 1970’s, South Main Street in Lexington was a veritable paradise of old mansions, homes, and history. Of them, few now remain, but the home of Dr. J. L. Murray House, located at 249 South Main, has become the project of Cindy Page. No, project really isn’t the right word. For those of you who have put their hearts into saving an old home, the process is nothing less than a labor of love.

The 2,290 square foot, two story colonial, with the expansive front porch and square columns was originally built by Dr. John Leonidas Murray, a friend and patron of President William McKinley, who was appointed as Postmaster for Lexington in 1896. In later days, his neighbors would be the McCalls and the Montogmerys, the Goffs, Lindenfields and the Boswells, and the Rev. Fleetwood Ball of First Baptist Church.

Cindy bought the property in July of 2004, taking strides to preserve the traditional look of the home, but protecting it from the elements with vinyl siding and a metal roof. Inside, the decorating style quickly takes you back to the end of the 19th Century, where the tall ceilings and wide rooms still seem to echo with the sound of the steam engine, the candle stick phone, and the clatter of the Model T.

Dr. Murray married Mary Neely, and their son, Sidney Eugene Murray, became a U.S. District Attorney. Their daughter, Mary, married Tennessee Representative John Fielder Hall. Cindy not only works at preserving the home, but the history of the families that lived there as well. In a biography of S.E. Murray…

For complete coverage, see the July 17th edition of The Lexington Progress.

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