June 2002: "Shorewood" - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mr. Tenney raised Guernsey cows and in 1918 built two identical barns just off the service driveway of the current Murphy estate. Mrs. Tenney, an avid bridge player, built a small cabin in the woods for her bridge group. This cabin was known as "Little Woods". The cabin was added on to over the years and is now the home of Mr. and Mrs. Walter M. Ringer, Jr. Mr. Tenney died in the spring of 1936 leaving the property to his wife. After World War II, Mrs. Tenney elected to sell to Mr. and Mrs. Kingsley H. Murphy, Sr. 88 acres of land consisting of the barns, the main house, the caretaker house and other improvements. The 88 acres included what is now the French Creek subdivision plus the 48 acres which the Murphy, Jr. family own today. Mrs. Tenney gave her daughter, Mrs. Alice T. Mitchell, 14 acres where the "Little Woods" house was located and approximately 5 acres where the Minnetonka Center of the Arts sits today. Mrs. Mitchell built a school on the Minnetonka Center of the Arts property and sold the 14 acre "Little Woods" property, presently owned by Walter M. Ringer, Jr. In 1946, Mrs. Tenney built a home on the west end of the property, similar in design to "Little Woods". That house, surrounded by 11.78 acres, is today the home of her daughter-in-law, Mrs. William L. Tenney. When Mr. Kingsley H. Murphy, Sr. died in the late 50s, Mrs. Murphy returned to her home in Minneapolis. Her son and daughter-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Kingsley H. Murphy, Jr., took over ownership around 1960. Extensive work was done to winterize and modernize the home. During the mid 1980s, Mr. and Mrs. Kingsley Murphy, Jr. sold the 40 acres across North Shore Drive to Edward N. Dayton, developer of French Creek.