... A walnut tree row was planted by James Smith, one of the general's sons, who apparently rode his horse, carrying walnuts in a sack and dropping them into a furrow, according to Betty. As the trees grew taller than the prairie grass, they led travelers through the prairie to the Smith home and onto the grist mill in Jonesboro, as Napton was called at the time. Two of the walnut trees were standing in 1972 when the Maxwells moved back to the farm, after Tom retired from a career with the U.S. Navy. Because the trees were hollow, the electric company cut them down to keep them from falling on the electric lines. ...
