What does "classic old maids" mean to you?

Wouldn't you think people described as that were often lesbian?

The Baldwin sisters were a fiction based on the slight suggestion of a bootlegging mother and daughter who lived near the Hamner family. All the details were otherwise made up. The talk of 'Ashley Longworth' sounds a lot like fake stories lesbians would tell for straight cover.

Here, Earl Hamner talks about them a bit:

https://www.insp.com/blog/family-life-waltons-exclusive-interview-earl-hamner/