Main Campus

Personal and Therapeutic Care

For the last century, we’ve cared for vulnerable children in Cedartown, Georgia. No matter where they’ve come from, kids referred to us by the state can call Murphy-Harpst home. A combination of evidence-based therapy and time-tested care and mentorship from our staff allows children to learn to cope with the circumstances and trauma that brought them to Murphy-Harpst and move forward toward a future full of hope and possibility.

Clinical Services

Residents are provided with a variety of individual, group and family therapy services according to the child’s level or trauma and specific behavioral or mental issues, alongside other CORE services.

York Academy

Residents attend our COGNIA accredited school on campus. Staff are certified in the State of Georgia. Credits earned are transferable. Based upon progress, residents may be allowed to attend community schools.

Equine Therapy

Murphy-Harpst is the few residential programs in Georgia with an on-site equine program. Equine assisted psychotherapy utilizes horses as a tool to enhance behavioral, relational, emotional, and spiritual growth.

Spiritual Development

We strive to make sure children feel safe to express themselves, knowing they are loved and cared for while ensuring opportunities to ask sincere questions of faith.

Transitional Living

The Transitional Living Program gives young adults a place to call home as they transition out of residential and foster care. 18- to 21-year olds can learn life skills before living independently.

Recreation Therapy

From art and athletics to dancing and swimming, Recreation Therapy teaches constructive emotional expression, appropriate social interaction, positive body image, and much more.

Support Our Mission

Children standing together

While some of the essential needs of our children are met through state funding, private donations give us the ability to provide critical services that truly heal our children and allow them to achieve their potential and lead successful lives.

Children standing together

A History of Care in Cedartown

One look around campus displays Murphy-Harpst’s deep history. While the historic buildings have stood tall in their places on campus for decades, their uses have evolved to meet the needs of the children in our care.

Noble Hall

Noble Hall

Dedicated 1939
Donated By Mr. & Mrs. Henry C. Pfeiffer
Administrative Offices & Visitor Check-In

A gift from Mrs. Henry C. Pfeiffer in 1939, Noble Hall was originally used as offices, a barber shop, a library downstairs, and a dormitory upstairs. It currently serves as a space for visitor check-in and administration.

Pfeiffer Hall

Pfeiffer Hall

Built 1933
Funded By Mr & Mrs. Henry C. Pfeiffer
Oasis & Transitional Living Program

Pfeiffer Hall originally had guest and reception rooms, an infirmary with two wards, an operating room and clinic, nurses quarters, and more. It now houses our Oasis (girls) and Transitional Living Program dorms, as well as our library and computer lab.

Dining Hall

Dining Hall

Built 1933
Funded By Mr & Mrs. Henry C. Pfeiffer
Cooking, Dining, Events

Originally called Merner Hall and named after legendary donors in the Merner family, our Dining Hall is not only used for resident and staff dining, but also special events like Art Shows, Talent Shows, Town Halls, Employee Appreciation Events, and the Annual Christmas Party and Recital.

James Hall

James Hall

1927
Funded By Woman’s Home Missionary Society & Others
Therapy, Sensory Room

James Hall is the oldest building on the Murphy-Harpst campus. It was gifted by the Women of the Pittsburgh Conference, the Woman’s Home Missionary Society, and the citizens of Cedartown. It was completed in 1927 as the Three Story Building housing a nursery and dormitory for girls and remodeled in 1934 to become James Hall.

Chapel

Chapel

Built 1942
Funded By Mr & Mrs. Henry C. Pfeiffer
York Academy, Meeting Space

Daniel Merner Chapel, built in 1942, was originally used for Church School, play rooms, and entertainment in the 1940s (and equipped with a pipe organ). It is now where residents attend Murphy-Harpst’s top-ranked York Academy, and it serves as a multi-purpose meeting space.

Pool & Playground

Pool & Playground

Built 1940’s (Playground), 1962 (Pool)
Playground Renovation Funded By Christopher Piper
Recreation Therapy

Our playground (built in the 1940s) and our pool (constructed in 1962) are just two places on campus where children have relaxed and played for decades. The playground was renovated in 2002 and named after Christopher Piper, who spearheaded the fundraising efforts that provided it.

Boykin Cottage

Built 1959
Funded By Callaway Foundation Girls’
Residential Care

Boykin Cottage was constructed in 1959 with $70,000 from the Fuller Callaway Foundation of LaGrange, Georgia with the assistance of architects Bothwell and Nash of Marietta. It was named for Judge Samuel J. Boykin of Carrollton. Now, it is home to 15 young women in Murphy-Harpst’s Residential Care program.

Boykin Cottage
Track & Field

Track & Field

Built 2019
Funded By Numerous Donors & Volunteers
Recreation Therapy

The multi-purpose Track & Field opened in 2019. Several individual, foundation, corporate, and church donors plus many Due West UMC and NOMADS volunteers made it possible.

Hope Hall

Hope Hall

Built 2013
Funded By Nellie Axelroad & Thalia Carlos
Boys’ Dormitory

Hope Hall was built in 2013 and contains the Nellie & Thalia Cottages, named after two donors who provided them, Nellie Axleroad and Thalia Carlos. The cottages are home to about 15 young men who are in Murphy-Harpst’s Residential Care program.

Greenhouse & Garden

Greenhouse & Garden

Built 2018
Funded By Various Donors & Volunteers

This area was built in 2018 and serves as a vibrant spot where children at Murphy-Harpst learn to grow vegetables. Our cooks in the Cafeteria sometimes use the produce to prepare healthy meals.

Community Services

Carriage House

Specialized Foster Care Offices

Previously a garage known as the Carriage House (which stored our School Bus), the Carriage House building holds our Specialized Foster Care Offices.

Horse Barn

Horse Barn

Equine Therapy

The Barn houses the nine horses on campus that serve the children at Murphy-Harpst through our Equine Therapy program.

Gym & Amphitheatre

Gym & Amphitheatre

Built 2013
Funded By Nellie Axelroad & Thalia Carlos
Recreation, Art, & Animal-Assisted Therapies

Our current gym (our original was located underneath the Chapel!) was built in 2013. It was donated by and named after Nellie Axleroad. It is currently the spot where residents engage in recreational therapy, art therapy, animal-assisted therapy, music, and clubs.