Generations of Waln and Meirs women helped build and sustain the farm, mill, and domestic life at Walnford and ensured its ultimate survival. Sarah Ridgeway Waln and her daughter Sarah Waln were among a small but noteworthy group of women who owned property and managed farms and businesses in the 19th century. For decades they oversaw the work of the mills and farm, rebuilt the grist mill after a fire, and invested in new buildings and improvements. In the early 20th century, Anne Weightman Meirs, working with her husband Richard Waln Meirs, rejuvenated Walnford by restoring its buildings and grounds in the Colonial Revival style.