IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK

Stories from 14 MacMahon Street – How it all began

The land where our Museum & Gallery is located today was part of a large block of land, owned by the MacMahon family. Irish migrant Patrick MacMahon and his wife Dora McDonough purchased it in the 1880s, with the boundaries being today MacMahon, Dora and Patrick Streets and Stoney Creek Road. The estate was gradually subdivided between the late 19th century and 1939.

In the late 1920s, young doctor John Saxon Crakanthorp, residing at 1 Butler Street in Hurstville, was looking for a place to build his new family home and doctor’s practice. He bought parts of the MacMahon’s estate. The doctor chose the location well to establish a doctor’s practice – just across the road of Hurstville and District United Friendly Society Pharmacy. The dispensary has been located at 17 MacMahon Street since 1915.

The image below was taken in 1923, depicting the candidates for the Hospital and Ambulance Queen Competition parading through MacMahon Street. The background reveals the pharmacy building.

Courtesy of Hurstville City Library Museum & Gallery collection

These are just some of the stories of 14 MacMahon Street. Come and visit the multisensory exhibition IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK to find out more about the building’s past.

Exhibition is proudly sponsored by