The history of the Shelton-McMurphey-Johnson House, or the “Castle on the Hill,” begins with Thomas Winthrop Shelton and his wife, Adah. The Sheltons made the move from Salem to Eugene with their daughter, Alberta, in 1873. After buying 320 acres in downtown Eugene, including Skinner’s Butte, from pioneer Mary Skinner, Dr. Shelton hired architect Walter Pugh to design a home to sit on the slope of the butte overlooking downtown and the train station. Nels Roney served as the builder. The home was completed in 1887; however, an aggrieved workman set fire to the house (only admitting to the crime once on his deathbed decades later) and the home had to be rebuilt. The building was completed in 1888, for a total cost of $8,000.