In 1889, Edmond Osbourne and Thomas D. Murphy started selling calendars, with a photo of the newly built Montgomery County Courthouse. This business grew to become the Osbourne & Murphy Company and eventually the Thomas D. Murphy Company. Always located in Red Oak, it became so large that the buildings expanded to cover a square block and included a water tower and power plant. They sold calendars internationally, awarding artists to make paintings for their monthly calendars. From their beginning, Red Oak became known as the Birthplace of Art Calendars. Birthplace of the Art Calendar Industry

Postcards compliments of David Shedlock Collection, 2020.
Click image to enlarge.

Murphy Calendar Co. 1905	Murphy Calendar Company 1907	Murphy Calendar Co. 1912
Murphy Calendar Co. 1920	Murphy Calendar Co. 1940s	Murphy Calendar Co. 1951

Now, a section of the Thomas D. Murphy Company, built in 1905,
(located at 110 South 2nd St., Red Oak), is part of the
Heritage Hill Tours in Red Oak, Iowa.

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