Walker’s Inn

Walker’s Inn. . , Left blue sidebar , Upper photo caption: Rosie Walker leaning against a post inside Walkers Inn. All of the furnishings were made by Mr. Walker including the stump stools., At the core of every community is a gathering place, a location where people can get together and drink, dance, or play. Walkers Inn was the embodiment of being a gathering place., In the mid 1920s, a man named Andrew "Norfolk" Walker arrived in the Stafford Courthouse area. He was on foot and had walked and hitchhiked all the way from Jamestown, North Carolina. He met Rosie Tyler (c.1904-1984) there and, in time, they discovered that they shared a common dream of running their own business. They started a small sandwich shop, married, and in 1941 the couple purchased twelve acres on the east side of Route 1. Here on a fine knoll, they constructed a cinderblock building they called Walker's Inn. The second floor had a few rooms available for overnight guests, there was a restaurant on the first floor, and there were several small cabins down the hill and closer to Route 1. Miss Rosie was known for her fine cooking, especially for her chicken sandwiches, and the business flourished., Lower photo caption: Margie Allen Bank showing off the latest styles at Walkers Inn, June 1958. Also pictured are Joe Alsup (L), Buddy Allen (C), Patricia Tyler (R), and Katle Parker peeking out of the door., The timing of the Walker's land purchase was excellent as in 1942 the U.S. Government greatly expanded the Quantico Marine Corps base. The newly built Walker's Inn provided entertainment for black soldiers from both Quantico and Fort A.P. Hill. In short order, the Inn was a destination for hundreds of customers between Washington and Richmond. Multiple popular singers came and performed for the guests, like Dinah Washington or BB King. James Brown also visited, but didn't go in or perform, instead he enjoyed the food outside. People in Stafford today remember their parents going into Walkers Inn to dance, while they remained outside, told to stay out of sight or out of trouble., Just to the north of the inn was a level area that became a ball field. Mr. Walker had his own baseball team, called the Stafford All Stars, consisting of African American players from Stafford, Fredericksburg, Triangle, and Alexandria. Other black teams came to Walker's from Spotsylvania, Bowling Green, Dahlgren, Dumfries, Warrenton, and North Carolina to play the All Stars. The baseball games continued for much of the 1950 and 1960s. Eventually, Mr. Walker converted the baseball field into a motorcycle racecourse and people brought their motorcycles from all over the region to race there. Like the baseball games, the races drew large crowds of spectators., On the site where the community used to gather to enjoy Rosie's food, games, dancing, and races now stands Stafford Hospital. While the Inn is gone, it and its founders are still remembered today for feeding, housing, and entertaining their guests for more than three decades., Lower center photo caption: The Walker's son William Tyler winning the 1st place flag at Vista in 1955. He was a well-known motorcycle racer throughout North America traveling as far as Mexico for races., Upper right photo caption: The Stafford All Stars had a reputation for being an excellent team for much of the 1950s and 60s. And hosting them at Walkers Inn also meant a steady stream of Mrs. Walker's fan chicken delivered to the stands by the children of the family.