Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
“Murphey House was a historic residence near Trinity, Alabama, United States. The house was built around 1824 by George Murphey, a settler from North Carolina.”
Wikipedia article Dr. William E. Murphey House, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 20 National Register listings published here for Morgan County · listed in 1986 · category: Building.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 66 fires within 5 miles of Dr. William E. Murphey House between 1994 and 2018, burning about 788 acres in total. None started naturally. 21 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 21 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 21 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 12 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 5 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 4 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 2 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 September 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | 20180922-6 |
| 12 September 2004 | Arson/incendiarism | 2.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 28 August 1998 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 22 August 2005 | Equipment and vehicle use | 5.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 12 August 2007 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 11 August 2015 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | NOR-20150811-001 |
| 20 July 1997 | Arson/incendiarism | 8.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 29 June 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | NOR-20150630-003 |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 3 workings within 5 miles of Dr. William E. Murphey House: 2 unknowns, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Iron, Stone, Crushed/Broken, Phosphorus-Phosphates. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monsanto Phosphate Deposit No.43 | Phosphorus-Phosphates | Unknown | ||
| Plant 1 Pit | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Unnamed | Iron | Unknown |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Trinity, the town this property stands in, in 52 storm reports between 1995 and 2025: 20 thunderstorm wind, 19 hail, 6 tornado, 5 flash flood. The reports record 2 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Trinity | 2 hurt, $60,000 | A large tree fell onto a house, which was totally destroyed. A family was in the house at the time and a woman and her child were injured. |
| December 2009 | Flash Flood | Trinity | $500,000 | Three to six inches of rainfall caused widespread flash flooding across Morgan county and closed numerous roads across the county. Especially hard hit were areas along a line from Massey to Hartselle to Lacey Springs. Isolated higher amounts occurred in the extreme southwestern portions of the county. ||Extensive flash flooding occurred in the Hartselle community, pushed into area businesses and home in the downtown area. Several roads were damaged and closed across the county. Some roads affected included: Rice Road, Celia Drive, Rustic Lane, and a public street near Westwood Drive.||At least one water rescue was needed in the Somerville community, where a car was swept off Gum Springs Road. Conditions were so extreme that even the rescue squad had a hard time bringing the man in the car to safety. |
| April 2011 | Tornado (EF3) | Trinity | $400,000 | The tornado briefly crossed rural areas of Northwest Morgan County. High resolution MODIS satellite imagery combined with aerial surveys show a well-defined path of tree/vegetation damage between 1/2 and 3/4 mile wide indicative of low end EF-3 wind speeds of around 140 MPH. Just before crossing the Tennessee River into Limestone County, this tornado may have done some unconfirmed structural damage to a few buildings in an Industrial Park area along Mallard Fox Dr NW and Independence Ave. |
| November 2001 | Tornado (F2) | Trinity | $250,000 | no account filed |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Trinity | $150,000 | Significant severe thunderstorm winds snapped several wooden power poles near the base along highway 20. One concrete pole was knocked down to the ground and at least one small plane was flipped over at Pryor field. Many residents were without power for over a day due to the numerous trees and power lines that were downed in the area. Based on this evidence from a storm survey, it is estimated that peak winds approached 110 mph. |
| December 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Trinity | $15,000 | CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE OCCURRED IN A 4 TO 5 BLOCK AREA. A ROOF WAS TAKEN OFF OF A HOUSE, OUTBUILDINGS WERE BLOWN DOWN, AND POWER LINES WERE TAKEN DOWN. WINDOWS WERE DISLODGED AND DOORS WERE PULLED FROM FRAMES AT A RESIDENCE. |
| October 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Trinity | $10,000 | Several trees and power lines were downed by thunderstorm winds on South Mountain road, Ghost Hill road, and on South Seneca road, about two miles south of Trinity, Alabama. |
| January 1997 | Hail | Trinity | $7,000 | no account filed |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Trinity | $5,000 | Multiple trees were knocked down near CR 316 in Trinity. Report and photos from Social Media. Time estimated from radar. |
| April 2011 | Lightning | Trinity | $5,000 | Lightning struck a primary power substation in Trinity, causing a power outage of around 10,000 customers for about 30 minutes. |
| March 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Trinity | $4,000 | no account filed |
| April 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Trinity | $2,000 | A tree and power line were knocked down into a driveway at 75 Mason Drive in Trinity. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Trinity | $2,000 | A tree was knocked down blocking the entire roadway at the intersection of Whitlow Road and Gordon Terry Parkway. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Trinity | $2,000 | Trees and limbs were knocked down. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Trinity | $2,000 | A tree was blown down onto a house. |
| April 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Trinity | $2,000 | Damaging straight-line winds knocked trees down on Mountain Home Road in Trinity. |
| November 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Trinity | $2,000 | A few power lines were blown down in Trinity. |
| June 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Trinity | $1,000 | A tree was knocked down on some powerlines along North Seneca Springs Drive in Trinity. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Trinity | $1,000 | Thunderstorm winds knocked a large tree onto the roof of a home. Time estimated. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Trinity | $500 | Roof shingle damage was reported in Trinity. Also, tree limbs were knocked down. |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Trinity | $200 | Tree limbs were knocked down at Somerville and 8th Streets. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Trinity | $100 | A 45 mph gust was estimated at this location. |
| January 2023 | Tornado (EF1) | Trinity | - | Crossing into western Morgan County, the tornado lifted at times between Trinity and Beltline Road. Power lines were knocked down and occasionally limb damage was noted. Moving toward Highway 20, minor mobile home roof damage was recorded at Kimberly Pines. Further east, as the tornado crossed Highway 20, a tractor-trailer was blown off the road and tipped over. The tornado approached Jay's Landing and caused several large campers to flip or be displaced. Near this location, an injury was reported at a recycling facility. The tornado approached Ingalls Harbor. Damage to the law enforcement marina was noted near the shoreline while |several large trees were uprooted along Highway 20 in this area. |
| February 2022 | Hail | Trinity | - | Nickel sized hail was reported in Trinity. |
| July 2021 | Flash Flood | Trinity | - | Flooding reported at the intersection of Woodall Road and Highway 20. |
| July 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Trinity | - | Trees were knocked down near the railroad tracks and Finley Island Road in Decatur. |
| November 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Trinity | - | Trees were knocked down along Highway 20 in Trinity. |
| October 2017 | Tornado (EF1) | Trinity | - | The first indications of damage were just east of the Lawrence-Morgan County line along Ghost Hill Road, where several trees were snapped and uprooted. Damage continued to the east-northeast across South Seneca Drive, Mason Drive, Woodland|Avenue, and South Mountain Drive. In this area, numerous softwood and hardwood trees were snapped and uprooted. Several well-built single-family houses were damaged by falling trees; however, all observed structural damage was caused by trees falling on the structures, not by the tornado itself. The tornado weakened considerably after descending the bluffs beyond South Mountain Drive, but still snapped and uprooted a few trees as it moved northeast toward the intersection of Old Highway 24 and Greenway Drive. The most significant structural damage occurred at an RV/boat storage facility near that intersection, where the tornado lifted and displaced one storage shed, and damaged another. The last indication of damage were snapped, partially-rotted trees northwest of the intersection of Tower Street and Owensby|Way. |
| March 2013 | Hail | Trinity | - | Quarter sized hail was reported 5 miles west of the intersection of U.S. Highway 31 and Alabama Highway 20. |
| March 2012 | Hail | Trinity | - | Quarter sized hail was reported. |
| April 2012 | Hail | Trinity | - | Nickel sized hail was reported on old highway 24. |
| April 2012 | Flash Flood | Trinity | - | Flash flooding was reported at the intersection of Gordon Terry and Seneca Springs road in Trinity. The depth of the flood waters was 8 to 10 inches and flowing across the area roads. |
| March 2012 | Hail | Trinity | - | Nickel-sized hail was reported. |
| May 2012 | Hail | Trinity | - | Hail up to quarter size was reported in Trinity. |
| April 2011 | Tornado (EF1) | Trinity | - | This tornado touched down within the Decatur Industrial Park to the west of Red Hat road and tracked east northeast with a concentrated damage path of roof damage to an industrial building and numerous hardwood trees snapped 20 feet from the base. Peak winds were estimated at 105 mph at this location. Minor roof damage to another industrial complex along the Tennessee River was noted. At this location numerous trees were uprooted and were pointing to the northeast. This tornado then crossed the Tennessee River and moved into southeastern Limestone county. |
| March 2011 | Flood | Trinity | - | Several county roads, mainly at low water crossings, remained closed for a long period following heavy rainfall. |
| May 2010 | Hail | Trinity | - | Penny sized hail was reported in Trinity. |
| June 2009 | Hail | Trinity | - | Hail up to the size of half dollars was reported in the Trinity community. |
| June 2009 | Hail | Trinity | - | Hail mesuring 3.5 inches in diameter was measured on Old Highway 24 west of Trinity. |
| June 2009 | Hail | Trinity | - | Oblately shaped hail, measuring up to the size of 3.75 inches by 2.0 inches, fell just south of Old Highway 24 west of Trinity. |
| May 2009 | Hail | Trinity | - | Half dollar size hail was reported in the Trinity area. |
| May 2009 | Hail | Trinity | - | Nickel size hail fell in the Trinity community. |
| July 2008 | Hail | Trinity | - | Penny sized hail was reported in Trinity. |
| July 2007 | Flash Flood | Trinity | - | Flash flooding was reported along Lee Street in Decatur flooding at least one vehicle. |
| June 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Trinity | - | A tree was blown down at a residence on Red Hat Road. |
| June 2007 | Tornado (EF0) | Trinity | - | Representatives from the National Weather Service and Morgan County Emergency Management completed a survey of damage in the city of Trinity, AL. The survey found evidence of an EF-0 tornado on the Enhanced Fujita scale, with highest winds of 65 mph. The damage was confined mostly to uprooted trees and snapped limbs. One residence sustained some damage, mainly to sheds and fencing at the back of the property. |
| April 2006 | Hail | Trinity | - | Golf ball size hail was reported. |
| February 2005 | Hail | Trinity | - | Quarter size hail reported along Highway 20. |
| November 2004 | Flash Flood | Trinity | - | Several inches of water was reported over two roads which made them impassable. |
| June 2003 | Hail | Trinity | - | penny size hail reported. |
| March 2002 | Hail | Trinity | - | Nickel size hail was observed in the Trinity area. |
| July 1995 | Hail | Trinity | - | Dime-size hail was reported at Trinity immediately west of Decatur. |
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Home | 3.0 miles | 1980 | |
 | State Bank Building, Decatur Branch | 6.9 miles | 1972 |
 | Southern Railway Depot | 6.9 miles | 1980 |
 | Col. Francis Dancy House | 6.9 miles | 1980 |
 | Rhea-McEntire House | 6.9 miles | 1984 |
 | Bank Street Historic District | 7.0 miles | 1980 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 86001547 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Morgan County | All 20 listed properties in this county. |
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