Clark Murphy
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- Connection to Legacies of American Slavery Database
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Clark Murphy
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Clark Murphy was a black janitor at Greenville Woman’s College
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Janitor, maintenance man, grounds keeper and so much more- Clark Murphy was an integral part of Furman Woman’s College. Murphy, born a slave and made his way to Furman under those same conditions. Clark Murphy was a slave leased to Greenville Woman’s College from Cross Anchor in Spartanburg County, but after the Civil War he decided to stay in service to Furman for another thirty years. The ladies of Greenville Woman’s College loved Clark Murphy so much they referred to him as “Uncle Murphy.” Murphy would ring the bell daily, carry wood to heat up the young ladies’ rooms, bake treats and acted as the mail carrier for the ladies, he had a true spirit of dedication to Furman and the ladies of the school. Murphy devoted his life to the students who pass through Greenville Woman’s College that in the event of his passing on student wrote a poem of how it impacted her life. Clark’s life and legacy tells a story of a man who life was used a way to serve even when he was not seen as an equal.
In 2020, Furman renamed it residence hall from Lakeside to Clark Murphy Housing Complex. This housing complex is the oldest wing was constructed in 1961 and was single gendered up until the late 1990’s. This complex sits on the grounds of where Greenville Woman’s College was located. Clark Murphy Housing Complex serves as a reminder of the impact “Uncle Murphy” had on the college, the ladies who attended and Furman’s legacy.
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Furman University
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Greenville Woman's College
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Greenville Woman's College
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