A. Smith Bowman purchased the property that would become a part of Reston in 1927 from Dr. Hugh Hutchinson, a Herndon dentist. The Bowman family used the land they called Sunset Hills Farm for farming.  In 1928, the Bowmans founded the Fairfax Hunt. After prohibition, the Bowmans started a distillery producing Virginia Gentleman whiskey, which would hit the market in 1935. As a part of the distillery, they converted the Wiehle era town hall into a bonded warehouse.  Bourbon was manufactured in the distillery between 1933 and 1988. The building still stands and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. In 1947, the Bowmans bought the former Dunn tract bringing the property to over 7,000 acres. After the death of A. Smith Bowman, Sr. in 1952, the property passed to A. Smith Bowman Jr. In 1960, he sold the majority of his property to a land development company.  In 1961, 6,750 acres were sold by the property owner to Reston's founder, Robert E. Simon, Jr.