History
The Murray Church is a historic church built in 1876. Originally it was a Presbyterian Church. In 1927 it became Murray United Church. It is the oldest building in the Nicola Valley and also the only building still standing made with local Nicola Valley Lumber. The Murray Church is the most photographed church in all of the Southern Interior of B.C.
It was named Murray Church after its founder, Rev. George Murray. Rev. George Murray arrived in the Nicola Valley in 1875. He moved to New Glasgow, Nova Scotia and when he returned, Rev. Murray was the sole Presbyterian minister in the Interior of B.C. Since Rev. Murray was the only minister in the Interior of BC at the time, he had to ride horseback to the surrounding communities such as Lytton and Lillooet.
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Charles Sydney Major Goldman was a British businessman, author, and journalist who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1910 to 1918. Major Goldman in 1919 purchased the Nicola Ranch and Townsite in Nicola, which grew to some 300,000 acres. He owned all the way up to Monck Provincial Park. He named this park after his son Commander Victor Robert Penryn Monck Goldman of the Royal Navy. He had purchased all the land, including the land that the Murray United Church is on today. There is a memorial stone in the Murray Church yard.
Unfortunately, on January 11, 2019 the church was burned down. The only thing left standing was the brick chimney. Murray Church was rebuilt with community raised funds in 2020/21.
