It was an honor and a privilege to sit down with Pam Parsons Dupuy, the current owner of Layton Castle, to hear the story of the famous landmark that we see today. Currently, Mrs. Dupuy is the sixth generation of her family to reside in Layton Castle. Not originally from Monroe, Pam and her husband relocated to take care of her mother, Carol Layton Parsons. Upon arrival, they fell in love with the property and decided to call it home. Pam recalled early memories of her visits to the castle, “As a child it was so cool to come and explore everything. Even now that I live here, I’ll open a drawer and think ‘Wow, what could be in there’, so it continues to be a discovery.”

When contributing to the historical preservation of Monroe, Pam credits a lot of the work to her grandmother and mother. While many of her ancestors have played large roles in the development of Monroe, the more recent generations of women have been history & preservation focused. In the past, the Castle has been home to ballroom dancing, taught by her grandmother Carol Flower Layton. Mrs. Layton studied dance in New York & California, eventually settling on the family property and teaching in Monroe for several years.

Pam’s mother, Carol Layton Parsons, was an art historian and renovated several decorative parts of the home in her time there. Sitting on a grand Victorian chair, Pam says “A lot of this furniture has been here, from what we’ve guessed, since the late 1800’s. Mom had all of it redone about 10-15 years ago, after researching the details of the upholstery.” Her mother’s attention to detail and art concentration has largely influenced the design and reconstruction of the Castle. You can see a collaborative effort spanning over the years in the Castle’s library. Pam told the story of her grandmother calling in the help of a local architect and craftsman to design a “custom pecan wood bookcase” for the room. “20 years later, mom called in the same architect & craftsman to build the exact same bookcase on the other wall” she explained.

On the topic of women’s history and how Layton Castle connects, one woman was highlighted as an important contributor to the spirit of the landmark. Annette Hawkins, born in 1833, was enslaved and then stayed with the family after the Civil War. “I first heard about Annette when I was a child” explained Pam, “My mom would point at the four-poster bed, that was her bed, and say ‘that used to belong to Annette’ so I was always curious about who she was. As we go through our archives, I find her referenced in many letters from the families writing back & forth, asking ‘has Annette gotten better, is she okay?’ or just little things about her”. Pam told us that Annette’s importance rests in her caretaking of generations of the family and the property alike. “When I think about women in history, she is very prominent in that. She was very important to our family”.

To continue the family legacy & telling their story, the Castle has been opened to welcome both locals & visitors alike. Events have always been held there, and Pam has a lot of activities coming to fruition. Offering opportunities like custom tours, monthly public tours, meetings, and even small weddings, she is passionate and eager to share her family’s story & legacy with the community through regular tours & events.

In celebrating Women’s History Month, we recognize the incredible stories of passion, hard work, familial legacy, and leadership in our community. The generations of Layton women have set a remarkable example of devotion in narrating their family’s history throughout the years. We are grateful to Pam Parsons Dupuy for sharing her family’s story with us.