Murphy-Smith Historical Bungalow

Murphy-Smith Historical Bungalow is home to the Laguna Beach, California historical society. Visitors are able to visit the museum throughout the year due to volunteer docents. The bungalow is open Friday through Sunday 1pm to 4pm. Murphy-Smith House was built in 1923 and has been listed in the historical inventory. It is a box plan with gabled roofs and clapboard siding, which was rather typical of the 20s.

Most of Ocean Avenue, where the house was located, was residential until the 1950s. At that time many of the homes were torn down. The bungalow has a cellar and was rumored to be a bootleg liquor storage area during prohibition. There is a front porch with wood posts to support the gable porch roof, and the main door has side light windows. Inside, there are French doors opening into the bedroom. The Murphy family built the home on land they owned that extended to Beach Street. In 1935 the house was under new ownership by Claudia Clapp. She ran a boarding house across the street. Blanch Clapp bought the house from her mother due to its proximity to her work place on Forest Avenue at Covern Bakery. Blanch married a husband by the name of Smith in the 50s, thus the name Murphy-Smith.