Our rural roots were established in Canada over 175 years ago when Andrew Murphy came to Ontario from the village of Draperstown, in County Derry Ireland in 1831. It was his great grandson William A. Murphy that settled on this fertile farmland on the Essa Flats in 1913. Five generations later, the Murphy family continues to farm potatoes on the same bountiful property.It was Mark and Shawn Murphy who opened the first retail farm stand in 1983. In 1990 they expanded the business and built the post and beam building it is today. Mark and Shawn were awarded Outstanding Young Farmers in all of Canada in 1993. The farm market grew successfully with pick your own fruits and vegetables as well as many on farm activities for families.As time went on it became difficult to manage the demands of both the potato crops and farm market. Mark and Shawn decided it was best to streamline the farming operation and focus more on the potato crops. During this time, Murphy's Farmstead continued to serve the community during asparagus season.The Murphy family, with interest from their grown children, reopened the market full time in the spring of 2010. more... See more text