William Edwin Ammons (Capt.) was born June 1, 1864 in Caledonia, Lowndes County, Mississippi. He married Miss Martha Caroline Sumner of Sumner, Mississippi, and to them were born four children.
Around 1913, after disposing of the bulk of his lumber and farming interests in Mississippi, Capt. Ammons purchased the old Peel Mansion from J. J. Jones who had bought the house three years earlier from the Peel family. During the time that Capt. Ammons had the house they did many repairs on it. One major change they made was to cover the red brink with stucco. Under their ownership, they ran the large orchard that went with the house.
Capt. Ammons immediately became one of the leaders in horticulture and business activities in Northwest Arkansas. He also had interests in the Mining District in the Joplin Area. He was one of the organizers of the Mid-Mountain Fruit Company, which operated an important fruit buying, packing, and canning industry here for many years. He was also one of the organizers of the company that built the mausoleum at the Bentonville Cemetery.
Capt. Ammons was widely known and highly esteemed for his business ability and integrity and for his constant generosity and always likeable disposition. He was generous in all dealings and whenever possible contributed liberally of means to civil, church, and others.
He passed away on March 14, 1936, and is buried the mausoleum he had built in the Bentonville Cemetery.