Dora Dee Walker House
Historic Property
Alternate Name:
Mother Walker Home
Street Address:
on a dirt road that runs parallel to SC 125, off S-3-52,
Site Number:
S108042001300184
Site Number:
51
Date Surveyed:
1979
Category:
Building
Current Use:
Vacant/Not In Use
Construction Method:
wood frame
Foundation Materials:
Brick Piers
Roof Materials:
asphalt shingle over wood shingle
Signficant Architectural Features:
1 story clapboard house, L shaped in plan, with cross gable roof. Front section of the house has 2 interior straddle ridge chimneys with dogtoothing in their caps, and the rear wing has 1 interior chimney with corbeled cap and 1 small chimney. Front: symmetrical, AABAA; central front entrance with rectangular transom and sidelights is flanked on either side by 2 windows; a porch with turned posts, sawn brackets, and spindles along porch frieze (balustrade is now missing) extends across the front facade. Large central front gable and end gables each contain a Palladian vent. A porch with shed roof is on the NW side of the rear wing of the house. A notable feature of the SE side is its bay window; the porch along the rear wing of the SE side has collapsed. OUTBUILDINGS:
Historical Information:
Before the age of 16, Dora Dee Calhoun Walker (1859-1952) was teaching school. She taught first at Cave, S. C. and several years later became principal of Appleton High School where she served in that position for 18 years. At age 18, she married William Arthur Walker of Appleton, and at 33 was a widow with 4 children (1 son— a diplomatic commissioner with the prime minister of China, another son was killed in the Philippine Islands by cannibals). The first person in S. C. to receive a federal appointment as a home demonstration agent, Dora Dee Walker, "The Fairy Godmother of Farm Women," began a career destined to improve rural life in America. Mrs. Walker worked to preserve community spirit by organizing community centers, and she encouraged women to take part in civic affairs and politics. Her bulletins on food preservation were pioneers in their field. Many foreign governments, encouraged by her work, have sent young women to the U. S. to be trained for home demonstration work. In addition to her other responsibilities, Mrs. Walker operated a 125-acre farm near Appleton.
Source of Historical Information:
Barbara Lewis, P. 0. Box 563, Allendale, SC 29810; Pratt, Robert. "Mother Walker, America's First Home Demonstration Agent," Sandlapper (August. 1970): collection of articles from several newspapers.
Survey:
Allendale County, 1979-1980
Archives Location:
Box 13, Series 108042, Survey of historic resources (county by county data on surface properties), circa 1971-2014
