About this location
A few stories people tell about this place
1. At night, when the pumps were silent and the lights dimmed, customers noticed something odd. A little boy, sitting in his car seat, would suddenly start laughing uncontrollably whenever someone filled up their tank near Murphy Express. One day, an old man pulled up and asked curiously, ‘Is that kid always here?’ The attendant smiled and replied, ‘No sir, just tonight.’ And sure enough, after the tank was full, the laughter stopped as quickly as it had started.
2. One morning, while filling up his truck, a delivery driver found an old, dusty guitar case in the back of Murphy Express. Curious, he opened it and discovered a well-worn instrument inside—complete with a note scribbled on yellowed paper: ‘Play me once, then leave.’ Smiling, the delivery driver strummed a few chords, and suddenly the whole station filled with the sweetest music anyone had ever heard. The next day, everyone in town stopped by Murphy Express just to listen. Turns out, it was an ancient folk tune from the owner’s grandfather—a song no one remembered anymore. And so, Murphy Express became known not for gas but for free concerts every Saturday night.
3. At dawn, when the streets of Houston were still quiet, a delivery driver pulled up to Murphy Express for gas. He glanced around curiously as he filled his tank—something seemed different today. Suddenly, the pump clicked off and a voice boomed from above: ‘That’ll be twenty bucks!’ The driver looked up to see an old man in overalls waving cheerfully from the roof. Turned out Murphy Express was owned by none other than Uncle Sam himself, who lived upstairs and ran the place part-time. The delivery driver paid up with a smile, never again questioning where exactly his gas came from.
4. At dusk, when the gas station’s neon sign flickered on, a little girl pointed excitedly at the shadow moving between the pumps. "Daddy," she whispered, "is that a ghost?" Her father laughed gently but glanced over his shoulder anyway. Suddenly, an old man in coveralls appeared from behind the garage and waved cheerfully. ‘Evenin’, folks!’ he called out. The little girl giggled, pointing again, ‘See, Daddy? It’s just Murphy, our friendly ghost who helps with deliveries.’ Her dad rolled his eyes, smiling, while Murphy winked and disappeared into thin air—only to reappear moments later, whistling, as a regular guy filling up his truck.