The Federal-style house at 19 Washington Road in Woodbury was built in 1830 by Joseph F. Walker. As related in The Town and People, a Chronological Compilation of Contributed Writings from Present and Past Residents of the Town of Woodbury, Connecticut (1901), edited by Julia Minor Strong:
The honor of longest service as “Chorister” [at the North Congregational Church in Woodbury] probably belongs to Joseph F. Walker (more familiarly known and generally spoken of as “Uncle Fred”). His voice was a peculiarly rich and melodious tenor, always pleasingly prominent in fullest chorus. The very tuning fork that he used for so many years is now sacredly kept by his son, F. A. Walker, of Waterbury, Conn. It always has a place in his vest pocket.
The house later belonged to the Dawson family, who opened a store in 1884 at the corner of Washington Road and Main Street.