the pegrams experienced the civil war while living at walnut valley. despite this, archaeological evidence found during renovations in 2017 indicates that they were still able to purchase new dishes and furniture during the war years. after the war, the pegrams' wealth, largely tied up in human chattel, drastically decreased. the fact that blair pegram had paid for his share of the house using confederate currency caused legal issues well into the 1880s. sometime between 1865 and 1870, the east chimney caught fire and fell away from the house. the pegrams extended the house five feet and replaced the original chimney with a haphazardly-constructed, small, square chimney intended for use with a coal stove. by 1904, maintaining walnut valley had become too much of a financial strain, and minerva pegram leased the property to a tenant farmer named george washington mitchell.