View of G.C. Murphy's in Market Square. The chain was founded in 1906 in McKeesport, Pennsylvania by George Clinton Murphy. The G.C. Murphy Co. grew to include more than 500 stores, including the suburban "Murphy's Marts," before its acquisition by Ames Department Stores in 1985. The G.C. Murphy Variety Stores, also known as "five-and-tens," survived a little while longer before being absorbed by longtime competitor McCrory Stores.
