History of Murray High School

Murray High School, as we knew it in the late 1960s and early 1970s, no longer exists. It's currently known as Murray Middle School. But as you'll see in our school's long history, there is precedent for change. (For historical context, remember that Minnesota became a state in 1858.) Read on...

In January 1888, a new elementary school (located at Como and Commonwealth Avenues) was opened and it was named Murray School in honor of Mr. William Pitt Murray. William Pitt Murray had been the president of the Minnesota Constitutional Convention in 1857 and later the author of the St. Paul City Charter. He was a well-respected public servant who served in both houses of the Minnesota Legislature. This new Murray School had four rooms. Miss Emma Cooper was the first teacher and the school had a total of nine pupils. Four more rooms were added later. Attendance grew quickly as seen in Photo #1.

(Photo #1: Murray School c. 1910 - Como & Commonwealth Aves., St. Anthony Park, MN)

In 1925, another new school was being built at Buford and Grantham Streets, about a half mile from the original Murray School. This new school was much larger with 13 classrooms and a gymnasium, and the Murray name was transferred to this new school. To ease crowding, elementary students in grades K-3 and 7-9 would attend the new Murray School at Buford & Grantham. Students in grades 4-6 remained at the Como & Commonwealth school, which was renamed Gutterson School, named for Gilbert Gutterson, a prominent local businessman in St. Anthony Park.

(Photo #2: Murray Junior High School c. 1928)

(Photo #3: Murray Junior High School c. 1928)

The new Murray School opened in 1926 and Mr. Ezra R. Edwards was the principal. In 1930, an addition was built at the south end of the original brick building, almost doubling the size of the school. The elementary students were transferred to Gutterson, and Murray transitioned to a junior high school. It quickly became a combination junior/senior high when sophomores enrolled in 1937, and juniors and seniors in 1938 and 1939 respectively.

(Photo #4: Murray Junior-Senior High School c. 1940)

By September of 1939, Murray had an enrollment of 822 students in grades 7 through 12. Mr. H. E. Hillard was the principal. An auditorium wing was built extending the original building eastward, and it was completed in December, 1939. It included a typing room behind the auditorium balcony and science rooms on the lower level. 

(Photo #5: Murray Junior-Senior High School c. 1959)

The first class of 113 seniors graduated from Murray in June of 1940. They were the class that chose the school’s nickname “Pilots,” and chose a ship’s wheel as a logo (most likely in honor of 19th century Mississippi riverboat captains that helped to "pilot" goods up and down the river). They also chose BLUE & GOLD as the school's colors, and named the school’s first yearbook “The Pilot”— a copy of which is still on file at the current Murray Junior High.

(Photo #6: New building -- built mid-1960s)

Enrollment numbers increased as the population of the Twin Cities grew after WWII. By 1963, there were 1100 students enrolled, and Murray was overcrowded and implemented double shifts. The school needed more space. In about 1963, a new building was constructed to the west, which included a large gynmasium and pool, music rooms with tiered seating, a home economics room and modern laboratory science facilities. This new building was built in the mid-century-modern architectural style using large expanses of glass, metal and concrete, and incorporated large, trapezoidal windows on the ground floor facing the older, brick building. For students, the experience of walking between these two very different buildings was a daily reminder of a comfortable, 'familiar' past – and the anticipation of an exciting future.

In 1978, a new library (the Bulger Library) was built, along with a second-story addition to the original single-story glass corridor. The most recent physical change came in April, 2000 when a new front entrance was designed and that section was expanded with 13 new offices for staff.

The last Murray High School senior class graduated in June, 1979. The following school year (1979-1980), Murray was an open enrollment magnet junior high for grades 7, 8 and 9. In 1980, Murray became a grade 7-8 Junior High School, and then in 1986, it was a Science-Math Magnet school with an average student population of 800 students. In 2013-2014, 6th graders joined Murray and it became a middle school, and still is today.

 

Murray High School was always known as one of the smaller public high schools in St. Paul in terms of student enrollment. In spite of its relatively small student population, Murray students always had an enthusiastic school spirit and many were strong competitors in sports (hockey, basketball, football, cross country, etc.) and academics. Each class of graduating seniors from 1940 to 1979 was unique, of course, and along with a great education, we hope every student acquired an optimism for a bright future, and a fondness for their school days at Murray High School.