Airslie was built in 1806 for Major William Jones (1771-1853) and later inhabited by the de Forest family. The home is shown in the de Forest family sampler (needlepoint) dated 1928 (see upper left of image.)

Airslie was purchased by the Biological Laboratory from Mrs. de Forest in 1943 following the death of her husband.

Major William Jones, breeder of horses, trained his horses on the Sand Spit beach just below the house. The beach was locally known as "Major Jones' Beach."

As stated in the Buildings and Grounds section of the 1942 Annual Report of The Biological Laboratory, "the Sand Spit... unusually rich in the variety of its fauna, has been used as a collecting ground for materials to be studied..."