Murray Town’s Hudson market, built in 1934, is one of the oldest village markets.
The village is home to several major institutions. These include two of the oldest
secondary schools in Freetown: The Sierra Leone Grammar School and the West
African Methodist Collegiate School; the Headquarters of the Republic of Sierra Leone
Armed Forces is also based at Murray Town; the first prostheses center providing
specialist knowledge and services to lower limb amputee patients; the first fishing
industry in Sierra Leone; the first National School of Nursing; Milton Margai School for
the blind; and the first sports club in the country (Aqua). Recently, construction started
on the Krio Museum and Cultural Center (aka “Krio Ose”), sponsored by KDU/KDY,
which is expected to be completed in a year or two. There is also the Davidson-Nicol
Medical Center at Cole Farm, named after Prof. Davidson Nicol.
Murray Town is known for its mythical stories, like the one about the small stream called
Oloshoro which leads into the heart of the village. One such story is about the physical
or psychological consequences that would befall anyone passing through Oloshoro with
evil or malicious intent regarding any born and bred resident of the village. Another
myth was that any uncircumcised male who passed through this stream would, by some
mystery, become circumcised.
The village also has a local water well known as Oku Wata. It served large parts of the
interior of the village stretching from Murray Town Road to Cole Street and as far as the
area around Aqua Sports Club.
Murray Town has produced several distinguished social and religious luminaries.
Several “Firsts” from the village include Sir Samuel Lewis, the first African to be
knighted; Mrs. Lati Hyde-Forster, the first African woman to get a degree from Fourah
Bay College (Durham University) and went on to become the first female African
Principal of the oldest girls school in Sierra Leone, the Annie Walsh Memorial School;
the first African Head of Government Printing, Mr. Feijimi Brandon; the first African
Secretary of the Sierra Leone Red Cross, Mrs. Gladys Brandon; the first African head of
the Public Relations Office of the colonial administration, and later Permanent Secretary
for the Ministry of Information, Thomas Decker. He was also a journalist, linguist, writer
of Krio and promoter of the Krio language. He translated Shakespeare’s “Julius
Caesar” and “As you like it” (odat di kiap fit) into Krio. Other firsts include David
Sholanke Fraser, the first Sierra Leonean Mining Engineer, and his brother, Itunumi
Fraser, the first Sierra Leonean to head the Sierra Leone External Telecommunications
(SLET). In 2006, Murray Town also produced another first when Rev. Dr. Olivia Wesley
was appointed the first African woman principal of the Sierra Leone Theological
College. The village is also proud to have very strong connections with the family of
Edward Wilmot Blyden, the famous Pan-Africanist, who had inter-continental
connections with Africa, the Caribbean and North America. There was also Mr. Charles
Dunbar Burgess King, a descendant of Murray Town who travelled to Liberia and
became the 17 th President of that country.
Murray Town was once a close-knit village where parents and elders looked out for the
safety and protection of the children of the village. Every adult male or female became
an uncle or aunt to any young child. On New Year’s Day, for example, parents and
children would take part in sporting events organized by the late Kweku Frazer
(popularly known as Dada) and Feijimi Brandon. At a later stage in the development of
the village, Solomon Ina Manley took over the responsibility for organizing these events.
These events effectively bonded the villagers culturally, socially and religiously. Kweku
Fraser and Feijimi Brandon were active agents for social progress in the village,
introducing, among other things, YMCA and the Boys Scouts. The village also had a
football team called Murray Town Rovers that played in the first division of the national
football league. Among those who were regular players on the team were Josiah P.
Macauley, Francis J. Walker, Itunumi Fraser and Ikudaisi Adonijah Taylor who was the
organist at Ebenezer Church, and Frederick D. Johnson who was the organist at Jordan
W.A.M Church. Among others who became players in the 60s and 70s were Collins
Thomas, Sigismond Tucker (Amble), Conton Sesay, and Maxim Bright.
There is a long list of prominent families in the village worth noting, including the Lewis,
Fraser, Jarrett, Hyde, Bright, Cole, King and Noah families.
Another interesting feature of life in the village is that though Murraytonians accepted
and practiced western traditions including the mysteries of freemasonry, they continued
to adhere to traditional customs such as Awujoh, Comojade or pull nar doe. They also
participated as members and supporters of African secret societies such as Ojeh,
Hunting, and Oro as a way of maintaining their African identity.
One of the highlights of New Years’ Day is the traditional visit by family and friends to
the cemeteries where the graves of loved ones would be tidied up, whitewashed and
new flowers planted. The atmosphere is usually a mixture of solemnity and piety,
juxtaposed with laughter, merriment and celebration. During the visit, the cultural
tradition and practice of talking to the dead, an invocation of the spirit of the ancestors
will be done. Integral to this practice is the pouring of alcohol and water on the graves,
and the leftovers passed around to be consumed by those gathered around the grave.
An essential ingredient for this cultural practice or custom is kola nuts, both red and
white, which will be split into two. Families were known to settle disputes on the graves
of those family members who are no longer with us.
The Ojeh and Hunting secret societies, both imported from Nigeria, were popular
practices among the Krio people in the village and were respected and revered
societies. These societies played a pivotal role in the cohesiveness of Krio society and
their practices were jealously guarded by members who were mostly Krios.
Membership is now open to non-Krios.
