Perth District Asylum, later known as Murthly Hospital, was opened in the village on 1 April 1864 for 'pauper lunatics'.

Around 1770, the Hermitage Bridge at the nearby Hermitage was built by order of John Murray, 3rd Duke of Atholl, presumably to gain access across to some lands leased from Sir John Stewart of Murthly, as well as assisting with the views of the Black Linn and its falls.

It has since become a major landscape feature and has been the subject of several paintings and sketches, including from George Washington Wilson's visit around 1859.

[5] Dating from the 15th century, Murthly Castle (56°32′30″N 3°30′41″W / 56.5416°N 3.5113°W / 56.5416; -3.5113) is 1+3⁄4 miles (3 kilometres) west of the village centre.

An ambitious 19th-century replacement castle, Murthly House, was commissioned by Sir John Drummond Stewart, 6th baronet in 1827, with James Gillespie Graham as its architect.