History of Walker’s Tree Farm

David R. Diehl was born in Big Creek, PA, which is now 90% under the Beltzville Dam. David Diehl’s parents made a living on the farm in Big Creek selling their produce to Jim Thorpe and Palmerton. David would catch up on his sleep in the wagon drawn by horses while traveling to his customers. When the horses arrived at the first house to sell his produce, the horses stopped and then David would wake up. When he would take the horses out to the field, he would take two teams. He would plow down the field and back up the field and park the first team and use the second team for the next row. He would do this all day long in order for the horses to get rest. In the winter time, to make money, the family would cut timber and sell it to the sawmill. David Diehl broke his arches doing the timber cutting and hauling which kept him out of active military service. He then purchased a gas station which has Benjamin Franklin’s well in the back yard in Weissport, PA. He then decided walking on concrete was harder to walk on than dirt. He then purchased land to start a tree farm in 1920 which is the exact location of Walker’s Tree Farm today. David Diehl knew nothing about growing trees so he started growing Scotch Pine and he discovered grass grew up and choked the trees. He then started cutting the grass around the trees with a sickle. Shortly after that, he purchased a mower to cut the grass around the newly planted trees. He also learned quickly, he had to shear (prune) the trees to keep them full and when the trees got cold, they turned golden yellow. To sell the trees in season, he would spray the trees green. Then he planted several varieties of Christmas trees and learned each variety has it own traits. He learned the blue spruce trees he planted were not true blue spruce but green spruce. He then sprayed them blue for the Christmas season and he sold them all. He only had a few to sell the first couple of years, which he sold retail, and he sold them at his house. When the farm was in peak production he only sold wholesale. David and his wife, Amelia, had two children, Elda and Oscar.

Oscar went to MIT and Elda went to Asbury College, Kentucky, to become a missionary where Elda met her husband, Marion Lee Walker, Sr. Marion was born and raised on a farm in Kentucky. He was enrolled at the University of Kentucky to be a county agent and he switched to Asbury College to become a minister. After Marion and Elda got married, Marion would work on Elda’s parents’ (David and Amelia Diehl’s) tree farm on summer breaks. They both graduated with a degree in ministry. While raising a family, he was a professor and taught Old Testament Greek in a Bible University in Colorado Springs. One summer he went to a dude ranch to work. The hired hands decided to have fun with the “city slicker” professor (Marion). They told him to get the horses and cut the hay. That is all they told him. Little did the workers know the “City Slicker” grew up with horses. Marion went into the barn, hooked up the horses and cut the hay and after that, they wanted him back every summer.

Marion and Elda were missionaries in Grand Cayman and had churches in Maryland and Delaware.

Marion and Elda had four children—Marion Jr. and Elda, who were born in Wilmore, Kentucky and Lena and Lela (twins) were born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where Marion Sr. was a professor.

As the children got old enough, the four of them would go to their grandparents’s, David and Amelia’s, Christmas tree farm to work for the summer. Marion Jr. really enjoyed working on the farm. All the children graduated from high school and went to College. Elda graduated from Kutztown University to become an art teacher; Lena graduated from Wesleyan University of Indiana and was a professor for Wesleyan University of Indiana; Lela is a minister at Emmanuel United Methodist Church in Allentown. Marion Jr. went to Lehigh University for two years. At that time the government quit giving student deferrals and Marion joined the Air Force since he knew he would get drafted. As he was serving in the Air Force, he did receive his draft notice which was irrelevant then at that time. David Diehl (Marion Jr.’s grandfather) wanted to retire from the Christas Tree business and Marion Sr. wanted to retire from the ministry. Marion Sr. and his wife moved back to David Diehl’s Christmas Tree Farm until Marion Jr. was discharged from the Air Force. After being discharged, Marion Jr. got married to his wife Sandy and they lived with Marion Jr.’s parents while working for his father and mother on David Diehl’s farm for a year. In 1972, Marion Jr. purchased his grandfather’s (David Diehl’s) farm which consisted of 100 acres. In time Marion Jr. purchased and sold acreage and at present Walker’s Tree Farm is a 200-acre farm which includes Christmas and landscaping trees.

Marion Jr. and Sandy hired family members to assist with production and daily activities of the farm. Some of the original family members are still with Walker’s Tree Farm today.

Marion and Sandy’s children all graduated from college; David graduated from Penn State with a mechanical engineering degree; Dianna graduated from Misericordia University with a BS in nursing; Debbie graduated from East Stroudsburg University with a BS in Recreational & Leisure Services Management.

David works full time on the farm and his education helps him design and repair equipment for the farm while having his own landscape business. David handles the daily operations on the farm.

Dianna and Debbie both have full-time jobs but work part time on the farm using their creative talents to make and design wreaths and help with planting and bailing trees along with serving customers.

All spouses help on the farm on a part-time basis. Additionally, the grandchildren help plant, make wreaths and assist during the Christmas season serving as elves wherever needed.

The whole family is involved with the fifth-generation family business on Walker’s Tree Farm.