It all started with a handful of cows.
W
hen W.L. Lyons Brown and Sally (Shallenberger) Brown were married in 1937, the bride’s grandfather gifted them a shorthorn cow, a bull and two heifers, which he shipped to Kentucky from his home in Nebraska. Since the young couple didn’t own a farm at the time, they briefly stowed the animals on a friend’s property before leasing and eventually purchasing 100 acres of land in La Grange. They named the estate Ashbourne Farms. Today, it’s made up of 2,300 acres and owned and run by their grandson, W. Austin Musselman Jr. “My grandmother was a natural. She was always into painting and bird watching. My grandfather slowly developed a love of agriculture. This became an escape for both of them, and they both fell in love with it.” Musselman serves as vice chair of the Bluegrass Land Conservancy, following his grandparents’ lead and sharing his knowledge of land use. The Browns’ original Ashbourne included orchards, a poultry operation, an inn and a restaurant on Highway 42 that served farm-to-table food. In the 1940s, a guest could order filet mignon for $3.85. The main function of the farm was raising and breeding short-horned cattle for showing and auctioning off. Today, the show barn has been revitalized and repurposed as an event space for weddings, corporate gatherings and nonprofit fundraisers. “We always treated the farm like our personal space where we’d come for enjoyment with our family and host events and parties for people,” Musselman explained. “We initially kind of resisted the idea of anything commercial, but people have always loved this space, even when there was no AC and it had a dirt floor.” Over the course of several years, the family warmed up to the idea of hosting formal events and began developing and beautifying the outdoor grounds. With Musselman’s passion for farming and collection of capable staff members, Ashbourne Farms is quickly becoming known as an ideal setting for events that are quintessentially Kentucky. Overseeing the show barn’s affairs is Sales and Events Director Annie Cobetto, who takes pride in Ashbourne’s mission.
Ashbourne Farms owner W. Austin
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Musselman Jr.
People have always loved this space, even when there was no AC and it had a dirt floor.” — W. Austin Musselman Jr.
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