The Walkers of Little Baltimore

I always like it when one historical investigation leads me naturally into another one, rather than having to look around and decide what to dive into next. While trying to figure out the later history of the Aaron Klair House, I found that it had passed into the Walker family. These Walkers were the same ones that owned the Mermaid Tavern at the time, and had several properties in the immediate vicinity. I also noticed that there were Walkers farther north, between Corner Ketch and Hockessin, and I assumed that they were all related. I soon realized that this was not the case. Then, in researching this northerly family of Walkers, I found that there were several old houses related to them still standing up in that region. I also came across the explanation and origin for the odd-sounding road they're on, which took its name from an old name for the area.

The Walkers we'll be focusing on here trace their lineage back to Alexander Walker, who married Mary McIntire in 1770. The McIntires (or McIntyres) were prominent landowners just across the state line in New Garden Township, Chester County. Alexander and Mary had three sons: Andrew, John, and Alexander. When the boys were young, sometime before 1780, their father died; Mary moved back into her family's home, but soon remarried to Thomas Moore. Moore purchased three farms from the estate of Samuel Young, who had died in 1781. All three properties were along the road that ran westward from Limestone Road to New Garden, PA -- two on the north side and one on the south side.

Sometime not long after 1800, presumably as the boys were coming of age, Thomas Moore sold the farms to two of his step-sons, John and Andrew Walker (I thought I saw that Alexander moved away, but I can't confirm that now). John Walker (1773-1860) purchased the two western-most farms, one north of the road and one south. The eastern property went to Andrew. Since there were already Walkers established nearby at Mermaid, the locals needed a way to distinguish the new Walkers from the old ones (they apparently were not related). Although their father Alexander came from Chester County, it seems that either he or his father had lived for a time in Baltimore. Therefore, John and Andrew became "The Baltimore Walkers". Consequently, the area around their farms came to be called "Little Baltimore". The road going through it, of course, acquired the name of Little Baltimore Road.

John and Andrew Walker's farms in Little Baltimore, 1849

There are two historic Walker homes still standing in Little Baltimore, although to be honest, I'm not sure exactly how old either of them is. One of them is the brick house pictured at the top of the post, which sits on the eastern farm owned by Andrew Walker (1780-1866). Andrew originally worked as a carpenter, before settling down on his farm. He married Esther Crawford, daughter of Robert Crawford (probably the same man who owned the Bartley-Tweed Farm at the time), and according to Runks built a barn and a large brick house. It's quite possible that the house that stands there today is the one that Andrew built, albeit possibly with a few later changes. 

After Andrew's death (probably in 1866), the farm went to his youngest son, Robert. Robert Walker (1813-1896) grew up on his father's farm, then moved out for a time to work on his own farm. Judging from the old maps, Robert's farm may have been located east of Polly Drummond Hill Road, where the development of Deacon's Walk is now. Robert married Sarah Whiteman (1828-1855), daughter of Jacob Whiteman, and this farm is later owned by Charles Whiteman, who may have been Sarah's brother. Eventually Robert moved back to Little Baltimore and took over his father's farm. Robert and Sarah had two boys: Alfred W. who married Mansell Tweed's daughter Louise and moved to Wilmington, and Henry C. who had become a doctor and lived in Philadelphia.

Upon Robert's death in 1896, Henry moved back to MCH and took over the house and farm. According to Francis Cooch in 1932, the farm was owned at that time by Clarence Jester. I do believe the house may date to Andrew's tenure in the early 1800's, but the barn that stands nearby is almost certainly a 20th Century addition. However, there do appear to be remains of the foundation next to it, likely the original barn.

A few hundred yard west of the Andrew Walker House is a simple, three bay frame house, the last remnant of one of his brother's farms. Again, I'm unsure of the age of the house, but it's certainly 19th Century. Here, too, there are stone foundations that were likely the base of John Walker's barn. This house could be John's, or it could have been built later by his son. Cooch, however, writing in the 1930's, seems to speak as if these are the original houses. John Walker (1773-1860), like his brother, was not initially a farmer. He trained as a carpenter, but also worked as a shopkeeper. Runks states that he ran a store at Ewart's Corner in Chester County (no idea where that is), and later in Little Baltimore. I've also seen mention that he may also have had one near Hockessin. Eventually, though, he settled on his property here. He was married twice, first to Elizabeth Ewart, then to Edith Sharpless. Unusually for the time, it does seem he and Elizabeth were divorced.

With his second wife, John had five children, two of whom would eventually occupy his farms. John's farm on the north side of the road, with the house shown above, was taken over by William Hicks Walker (1828-1913). This property actually extended into Chester County, PA, and also included a house in its northwestern part. After the DE-PA state line was resurveyed in 1892, I believe this house ended up being located in Pennsylvania. I don't think it's survived, and the portion of Doe Run Road that used to extend up to it north of Little Baltimore Road is long gone. I don't know if there were other owners after William, but in 1932 this farm was owned by Mahlon P. Lee.

The last of the three Walker farms is the only one not to have a Walker-era house on it. This is the other of John's farms, located on the south side of Little Baltimore Road. John's son Thomas Moore Walker (1822-1906) took possesion of this farm after his 1847 marriage to Mary A. McCabe (1819-1895). Mary was the daughter of Dr. Robert McCabe, a prominent local physician who lived a short distance east, between Limestone Road and the Mitchell's Woodside Farm. (The McCabe House is still there, although it appears to have been heavily altered by later owners.)  Thomas and Mary had seven children. Two of their sons, John M. and Thomas H., operated a kaolin clay mining company, the Walker Bros. Kaolin Company. I don't know if they did any of their mining on their own property, but they did lease other properties on which to mine, too.

Perhaps the most locally-notable child of Thomas and Mary was their oldest (in every sense), Francis M. Walker (1848-1950). Francis grew up on his father's farm, and later recalled seeing soldiers marching up Limestone Road in the summer of 1863. A few days later, he heard the rumbling of cannonfire from the Battle of Gettysburg. He studied law, and became a prominent lawyer in Wilmington. He continued to live in the Hockessin area his whole life, commuting by train to his office from 1872 to 1931. In fact, he was the only person to ride both the first Wilmington & Western train in 1872, and the last passenger train on the line in 1931. Here is a newspaper article on the occasion of his 101st birthday. He passed away in September of the following year, just shy of 102.

The original Thomas. M Walker House that Francis grew up in burned down around 1912 while owned by Roland Thompson, and was replaced with a new house. That house, owned in 1932 by Frank E. Hitchens, is no longer standing either, but it would have stood on the south side of Little Baltimore Road, between the Andrew and John Walker Houses. Taken together, these three homes and their owners gave the area its unlikely name of Little Baltimore, a moniker I'm sure still confuses people today.


Additional Facts and Related Thoughts:

• Information on the McIntires is a bit thin, but Mary is certainly related to the McIntires who purchased the Simon Hadley estate adjoining this area. What exactly her relationship was I  have not yet determined.
• William H. Walker was married to Anna P. Shortlidge (1834-1869), sister of Evan G. Shortlidge. Evan was a doctor in Wilmington, served a term as mayor, and was an important advocate for the public schools there. Shortlidge Elementary (now the Shortlidge Academy) was named for him.
• The Walkers were always involved in their community. John Walker and his nephew Robert each served terms on the New Castle County Levy Court. Thomas was a school commisioner, presumably for the nearby District 30 North Star School.