In 1875, Samuel W. Peel built a two-story home on the outskirts of Bentonville that he named The Oaks. The house was an excellent example of the Italianate style that was popular in the South until the 1880s. The property consisted of over 100 acres with a large orchard and multiple outbuildings suitable for a farm operation, and it boasted over 5,000 apple trees. At the turn of the twentieth century, Benton County, Arkansas, was the largest producer of apples in the nation. Samuel West Peel was born in Independence County, Arkansas, on September 13, 1831. In 1853, he married Mary E. Berry, and the two had eleven children together, nine of whom survived to adulthood. He served in different public roles throughout his life, most significantly in Congress from 1883 until 1893, where he was chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs. After Congress, he continued his law practice and took an interest in banking and property investments in Benton County. He died on December 18, 1924, and was buried in the Bentonville Cemetery.