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The DAR chapter in Hyattsville, MD, is called the Toaping Castle chapter after the home of Isaac Walker. Below is a copy of the history that was written by Crystal Surber for the chapter's 50th anniversary.
When a DAR chapter is organized, a name is chosen pertaining to something
historic within the area of where the chapter is formed. Toaping Castle was
the name of the Isaac Walker family home, which was located on Greenbelt
Road across from the entrance to Greenbelt Park. Both Isaac and his son,
Nathan, served in the Revolutionary War.
Isaac Walker was a loyal Jacobite, and tradition has it that he was a
survivor of the Battle of Culloden Field in Scotland. This battle was fought April 26, 1746, and it forever crushed any hopes that the Jacobite
cause had of returning to the throne a descendant of the exiled Stuart King
James II, who had abdicated the throne of England by request and fled into
exile in France. This was done because of his ties to the Roman Catholic
faith, which had angered Protestant England to the point of revolution. Parliament had decreed that no Roman Catholic would ever again wear the
Crown of England.
After the battle, Isaac Walker escaped to France with his wife and young
son. He feared greatly for his own life and that of his family. His wife
was a member of the same Stuart clan as the deposed succession. With a price on his head, he escaped by tobacco boat to America where he hid for
several years. After the Jacobites had been pardoned, his wife and son arrived at the Port of Alexandria. He sought a land grant and named the
estate Toaping Castle after the home he had to leave behind in Scotland. He
built a log cabin to begin with, but as his family increased, additions were added on and it eventually became a large Colonial home. It remained
in the Walker family until the Federal Government purchased it in 1936. The
house deteriorated, was vandalized and fell into such decay, it was eventually demolished. The land was cleared for what is now the Golden
Triangle Business Park.
There was a burial plot set aside within walking distance of the Walker
homestead. Some years ago, a stone block, with one slanted side, was placed
in the cemetery by the descendants. A bronze marker was attached to this by
a District of Columbia DAR chapter, among whose members were several Walker
descendants. On the slanted side of the monument, the bronze plaque reads:
Lieut. Isaac Walker
1721-1807
Pvt. Nathan Walker
1756-1842
DIRECTIONS
The cemetery is located within what is known as the "Golden Triangle" of
the Capital Beltway, Kenilworth Avenue and Greenbelt Road. This may be reached by going east on Route 193, Greenbelt Road, beyond Kenilworth
Avenue for .2 miles. Turn left on Walker Drive at the light. Drive to the
Cellular One building. Turn right, then immediately left to Indian Springs
Park. Circle behind the building and park at the far left; near the entrance to the parking garage. Follow forest path on the left to the top |
