In about 1880 the Walker Brothers partnership of Dwight F. Walker and Edward A. Walker, though remaining active on paper, seems to have been suspended in favor of the two brothers sharing a building but otherwise working independently. In October 1885 the Walker Brothers partnership was formally dissolved. Both before and after that formal dissolution, D. F. Walker made grinding machinery and wood lathes, and possibly other products as well. In the 1890s he received patents on paper-making machinery. Edward, meanwhile, was in business making metalworking machinery under the E. A. Walker name.

Information Sources

• Dwight F. Walker's patents provide some key data points.
• A U. S. Government document, Statement of proposals received and opened April 29, 1891... for machine tools required by the Bureau of Steam Engineering, to be delivered at the navy-yard, Mare Island, Cal. lists Dwight F. Walker of Philadelphia as bidding $298 to supply a band sawing machine; $2,498 to supply a "shaping machine", which, based on the other bidders, was surely a metal shaper; $699 to supply a screw machine; $249 to supply a universal saw bench and saw.
• An 1893 case heard by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania involved the Walker Brothers both as a partnership and as Dwight and Edward working independently, leasing a property, 77-79 Laurel Street, Philadelphia, from one Elizabeth S. Githens. A five-year lease was signed on 1876-08-01 by Dwight F. Walker and Edward A. Walker, "trading as Walker Brothers". After the five-year lease expired the brothers continued to rent on a year-to-year basis. In October 1885 the Walker Brothers partnership was dissolved. The brothers continued to separately pay the rent, one-half each, until they missed paying February and March of 1890. Dwight said that his brother had left the premises and therefore he was only responsible for half the rent. The landlord refused to accept Dwight's half of the rent and seized his property. Dwight took out a writ of replevin to retrieve his property, arguing that he and his brother had each and separately been paying their rent and this demonstrated that the original lease agreement had been tacitly modified and Dwight was therefore not responsible for his brother's share. The lower court found against Dwight, who then appealed to the Supreme Court, who reversed the lower court decision.
• The 1895 report, Pennsylvania at the Cotton States and International Exposition, Atlanta, lists D. F. Walker, Philadelphia, as winners of "Diplomas of general excellence or Bronze (advanced to Silver)" for "paper roll holder and cutter".
• 1895-12-26 American Stationer has a brief article on a wrapping-paper dispenser from Dwight F. Walker that integrates a rubber stamp to apply the merchant's mark on the paper as desired.
• 1896-04-30 American Stationer lists "D. F. Walker, paper and fixtures" as a trade fair exhibitor.
• A U. S. Government document, Schedule of proposals for machinery and tools for the navy-yard, New York... opened June 28, 1898 lists D. F. Walker, 51 Laurel street, Philadelphia, Pa., as one of the bidders. He offered to supply a "patent vertical boring machine" for $175 (which was, by a good margin, the highest price bid), a wood-turning lathe for $130, a scroll sawing machine for $110, 36-inch bandsaw for $120, a different scroll sawing machine for $135, three wood-turning lathes for $300. Only that last bid was a winner.
• A U. S. Government document, Schedule of proposals for machinery and tools for the navy-yard, Washington, D. C.... opened December 6, 1898 lists D. F. Walker, 51 Laurel street, Philadelphia, Pa., as one of the bidders. He offered to supply two wood-turning lathes for $300, which was not the winning bid. He did not bid on various other items such as engine lathes, horizontal drilling and boring machine, tenoner, and surfacer. The same page lists proposals for the New York navy yard; Walker bid on a 24-inch swing wood turning lathe ($150) and a vertical wood-boring machine ($175), neither of which was a winning bid.