In 1744, Michael Holland obtained a land grant, for a tract of land in Albemarle County, from King George II. In 1758, Francis Jerdone purchased the land, from that royal land grant, to establish his Farmington Estate. The first buildings on the estate were built sometime before the start of the American Revolution. As George Washington’s army was combating the British forces in New York, New Jersey and in other states, Francis Jerdone pledged his allegiance to the British. The Commonwealth of Virginia punished Francis Jerdone’s disloyalty by seizing his property in Albemarle County. Francis Jerdone was able to get his seized property back and in 1785 he sold Farmington to George Divers.
In 1802, Thomas Jefferson designed an octagonal building, with two rooms that is now known as the Jefferson Room, for George Divers as an addition for the Farmington Estate.
General Bernard Peyton, the third owner of the estate who served on the Virginia Military Institute’s first Board of Visitors from 1837 to 1841, divided the Jefferson Room into two stories and four rooms.
In 1927, the Farmington Country Club was established within the Farmington Estate. Presently, the Farmington Historical Society Foundation gives tours of both the clubhouse and the grounds.
Hamilton Historical Records 