For 250 years, Audley Farm has been a part of American history. Audley was founded in 1749, when Lord Fairfax granted a 3,000 acre estate to Colonel George William Fairfax. George Washington's cousin Warner Washington bought half of the estate in 1764, and it remained in the hands of the Washington family for 138 years. Audley is located near Berryville,
a historic town that developed at a crossroads of travel in the Shenandoah Valley.
The most famous resident of Audley was Eleanor "Nellie" Custis Lewis, Martha Washington's granddaughter and the adopted daughter of George Washington. Her historic home, known as the Audley House, has been completely restored and renovated. It is currently used for meetings and as a guest house. In 1902, the heirs of Nellie Custis Lewis sold Audley Farm to Archibald Cummins. The historic plantation was beginning a new century with a new purpose.
In 1921, Cummins sold Audley to Monfort and B. B. Jones, two brothers who had made their fortune in the oil fields of Oklahoma. They converted their success into a more genteel passion, and with their Audley-bred horses, became owners of one of the most successful Thoroughbred racing stables in the nation. B. B. Jones owned Sir Barton, winner of America's first Triple Crown in 1919. Sir Barton stood at stud at Audley during the 1920s and anchored the Audley reputation for outstanding Thoroughbred breeding and performance. Audley was listed in second place among American breeding farms in 1934, with 247 winners.
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