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Cheatham County was established in 1856 from parts of Davidson, Robertson, Montgomery, and Dickson counties. The county was named in honor of Edward Saunders Cheatham, Speaker of the State Senate. The county seat is Ashland City. Cheatham County has several archaeological sites that document activities by Native Americans who once lived in the county. With its access to the Cumberland River, the railroad system and roads such as Interstates 24 and 40 and U.S. Highways 70 and 41A crossing the county, Cheatham County has played an important role in the transportation history of Tennessee. Cheatham County has fourteen Century Farms and the oldest is the Hewitt Farm that was established in 1805. For more information regarding Cheatham County, please go to the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History & Culture website.

The following map is for a general geographical understanding. It does not provide the specific locations of the farms because of privacy reasons.

The Click Place, originated when John Elzie “J. E.” McLaughlin purchased 25 acres in the 13^th Civil District of Cheatham County in 1902. He raised hay and cattle, and he and his wife Violet, were the parents of two children.

In 1913, W.L. Travis purchased the farm. Both he and his wife, Pearl Petway Travis, were related to the McLaughlin family. G.C. “Click” McLaughlin, purchased the farm from the Travises in 1924 and continued the tradition of raising hay and cattle on the farm. He married Martha Alice Butler, and they were the parents of seven children.

In 1965, B.L. “Blake” Harris, a nephew of founder J. E. McLaughlin, purchased the farm. He married Artie Mae Harris, and they and their five children raised hay and cattle.

Lloyd Harris, one of Blake and Artie Mae Harris’ children, purchased the Click Place in 1968. He and Jennie Ruth Harris also own the Reed Place and are the parents of Jennie Dolores and Michael Harris. In 1976, Jennie Dolores Harris Moulton became an owner of the click Place with her father, and they now raise Black Angus cattle, hay and tobacco. In 2000, Michael acquired 13.5 acres of the farm.

Dolores Moulton’s daughter, D’andrea Felts, researched the history of the Click Place as well as the Reed Place. She is working with Century Farmers and the Cheatham County Fair Board to display information on each of the county’s historic Century Farms during the fair.

Located in Cheatham County approximately a mile and half from Pleasant View is Edgen Hills. The original 49 acres was purchased in 1879 by Joseph Agent. Joseph married Elizabeth Farmer and changed his name from Agent to Edgen. They had three children and raised wheat, oats, corn and livestock on the farm. Their son, Oliver Hicks Edgen became the next owner of the land. Oliver and his wife, Maggie Harris Edgen, had two children and they cultivated the same crops and livestock as the previous owner.

Upon the death of Oliver Hicks, the property was divided between his two daughters, Margaret Edgen Head and Peggy Edgen Suaer. In 1961, Margaret and her husband John purchased the other half of the farm from Peggy. Margaret and John raised hay, tobacco and livestock. Today, the farm is ran by the daughter of Margaret and John, Flora, and her husband Charles Bidwelll, Sr. They also own and operate a Century Farm in Robertson County that has belonged to Charles's family since 1849, Homestead Acres. A primary house and barn that were constructed in the 19^th century are still in use today.

The Four M Acres Farm is located 2 miles south of Highway 49 on the right side of Highway 41A in Cheatham County. Four M Acres was founded in 1849 by Charles Birdwell and his wife Martha Binkley. It is unknown what was produced on these 11,000 acres. The couple had eight children. Their son, Abner Franklin Bidwell, was the next owner of the land, along with his wife, Mary Francis Justice. The farm produced corn, hay, and tobacco.

The current owner is the founder’s great grandson, Morris Bidwell. The 107 acre farm now produces corn, beans, hay and cattle. There are three generations living on the land today. Morris is a member of the 4H Club and in FHA.

William Pace founded this 100 acre Farm in 1805. He raised cattle, corn, small grains, and hogs. The second generation owners were William Pace and his wife Martha Shaw Pace. They had nine children, five girls and four boys. William Pace acquired 200 additional acres from a tax sale. William’s son, Joel Pace and his wife Polly Davis Pace became the next owners of the farm. Over the years, the land was acquired by Nancy Elizabeth Pace Nicholson and then to their daughter Mary Elizabeth Hewitt. Mary’s son, James Hewitt was the next owner of the farm and he and his wife raised one child, Larry Hewitt.

Larry Hewitt, the current owner and great great great great grandson of the founder, acquired the land in 1975. Larry and his wife Kimberly produce wheat, corn, tobacco, straw, hay, and support cattle on the farm. In addition to managing the farm, Larry was recognized as Cheatham County’s Conservation Farmer of the Year in 1981.

Following Larry’s death in 2008, Kimberly and their son Blake who was 8 years old at the time, remained on the farm. The crops grown on 350 acres are soybeans, corn, hay and tobacco which keeps the 100 year old tobacco barn in use. Kimberly Hewitt writes that “my greatest desire is for our son to continue the farming tradition here on Hewitt Road.”

The Jackson Farm is located in Cheatham County and founded by Peter and Elizabeth Hobbs Woodson in 1806, is among the oldest in Middle Tennessee. The Woodsons were the parents of ten children and their son Peter H. Woodson was the next owner of the farm. On his 375 acres, Peter H. practiced general farming and specialized in dark fired tobacco. Together with his wife Wilmoth S. Thomas, he raised nine children.

By the turn of the century, Archibald Woodson, the founders’ grandson, had taken possession of 200 acres of the family land. Woodson, his wife Mary Bradley and their seven children raised corn, swine and grains. Archibald also planted tobacco. In 1922, Carrie Woodson and her husband Gilford Morris returned to Cheatham County to farm her parents’ land. When the farm went on the auction block after the death of Mary Woodson in 1949, Gilford and Carrie Morris, along with their daughter Elizabeth Morris and her husband Richard Jackson, purchased the property and kept it in family hands. Today, the Richard Jackson family lives on the original Woodson land, with three rooms of their present residence coming from the former 19^th century farmhouse. The Jacksons continue to specialize in tobacco, producing dark fired, air cured and burley tobacco.

Located south of Pleasant View, the Jimmy E. Shearon Sr. Farm was founded in 1813 by Sterling Harris Shearon and his wife Nancy Anne Williams Shearon, who had six children. The founding couple’s son, Jesse Shearon, who married Annie Harris, became the next owner of the land, where tobacco was the primary crop. In 1858, the land was passed to Jesse’s brother, Joseph Washington Shearon.

Today, the current owners are Jimmy E. Shearon and Wayne Shearon, the great-great-grandsons of the founder. Jimmy and his wife Shelly Mobley Shearon, along with their sons Jimmy Jr. and Timmy, live on the Jimmy E. Shearon Sr. Farm, where they produce tobacco, hay and grains on 92 acres. A stock barn and a tobacco barn still stand on the land today.

In 1867, John W. Johnson founded a 130 acre farm near Ashland City. Married to Harriette Stringfellow, Lucy Ellen, Mary Ann, Ada Elizabeth, William, Hiram, Hardy, Nancy and John T. were their children. On 130 acres, the Johnson family raised tobacco, corn, hay, cattle and hogs.

In 1884, the founder’s son, Hardy Johnson became the second generation to own the farm. During his ownership, the farm supported crops including corn, tobacco, hay, sweet potatoes, and the family also had an apple orchard. They also raised hogs and cattle. Hardy and his wife. Bettie Judd, had six children -- Earl, Lucile Johnson Hagewood, Lorelle Johnson Duke, Mildred Johnson Radford, Allea, and Carl.

The land was inherited in 1949 by the widow of Earl Johnson, Myrtle Ruth Johnson. Today, Ruth lives on the farm with her daughter Juanita Taylor, her grandson Terrill Taylor, his wife Susan and their children. Ruth’s granddaughter Pam and husband Hal Bryant and their son Will also live on the property. Currently, the farm produces corn, hay, pumpkins, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and cattle and is managed by the family and worked by Juanita and Terrill Taylor. The farm still has many historic buildings, including the original farm house that was built by Hardy Johnson in 1913, a tobacco barn built in the 1930s, a smokehouse built in 1913, and a large potato house dating from the 1920s. Mrs. Johnson advises that the acreage was called “Riverview Farm” in the early 1900s, but today the land that has been owned by Johnsons for 140 years goes by the family’s name.

North Oakdale Farm is part of the property originally purchased by Charles Gent in 1816 and shares a similar history with Oakdale through the ownership of W.J. and Mary Eulata Smith. When their daughter, Salome Batts, acquired 127 of Oakdale’s acres in 1965, one of her brothers, Leland Brantley Smith, acquired 157 acres.

Leland and his wife, Maude Gibbons Smith, were the parents of William Joseph Smith II and Andrea Ladd Smith. They raised cattle, hay, corn, vegetables, tobacco, soybeans and wheat at North Oakdale, and in 1987, Andrea acquired 35 acres of the family farm. She lived in Nashville, and her cousins, Henry Batts and Henry F. Batts III, worked the land.

The Oakdale Farm spans nearly 200 years of Tennessee history. Charles Gent, a Revolutionary War veteran, purchased a 640-acre farm in what would become Cheatham County in 1816. Charles and his wife, Sarah Sanders Gent, built two houses on the property—one near a cave spring, and one believed to be on Spring Creek. Charles raised sheep, cattle, horses, pigs, corn and vegetables on his farm.

Six generations of daughters and sons have worked the Oakdale Farm since Charles’ death in 1823, including four in the 20th century and into the 21st. William Joseph “W.J” Smith, Charles and Sarah Gent’s great-great grandson, acquired the family farm in 1927. Known as “The Squire” in the community because of his position as county magistrate and county judge, W.J. built and managed a general store until he was 32, then switched houses and duties with his father, previous Oakdale owner James Marion “Nick” Smith, who had expanded the farm to 352 acres.

W.J. managed the road fund for Spring Hill Creek, founded the Cheatham County Soil Conservation Program, was a member of the Cheatham County Farmers Co-Op and Farm Bureau and organized the congregation of the Half Pone (now Cheap Hill) Church of Christ. He and his wife, Mary Eulata Wall Smith, were the parents of three children and raised horses, cattle, pigs, hay, corn, tobacco, wheat and vegetables on the farm.

Their daughter, Salome Smith Batts, acquired 127 acres of the farm in 1965. She was the widow of Henry F. Batts and the mother of six children and had remarried when she took over Oakdale farm. Salome was an educator in the Cheatham County School System and an active member of the county’s Home Demonstration Club, often hosting meetings at her home.

In 2010, Henry F. Batts Jr., one of Salome’s sons, formally purchased the farm that he had leased and worked since 1965. He raises hay, wheat, vegetables, pumpkins, corn, fruit, soybeans and sorghum with his wife, Glenda Smith Batts, with whom he has three children. The couple lives in the house that Nick Smith built on Oakdale Farm in the late 1800s.

The Reed Place, owned by Lloyd and Jennie Harris, dates to 1838, when John White purchased 225 acres of land in what was then Dickson County. (Cheatham County was formed in 1856.) John raised cattle, hay, corn, tobacco and swine on his farm. He and his wife, Eliza, were the parents of five children.

Their daughter, Serena White, married William Clayton “W.C.” Reed. In 1887 and 1892, W.C. purchased a total of 209 acres of the farm from Serena’s brother, Squire White. W.C. raised cattle, hay, corn, tobacco and hogs on the farm, and he and Serena were the parents of 12 children.

In 1909, Burgess Franklin “B.F.” Reed purchased the farm from his father W.C.’s other heirs. In 1933, Lora Reed Marsh, a niece of B.F. Reed, and her husband, Thurman “T.W.” Marsh, purchased 85 acres of the farm. During their ownership, they deeded a portion of land for a cemetery for the descendants of W.C. Reed that is still in use today.

In 1944, B.F. Reed purchased the 85 acres back from Lora and T.W., and his son, Burgess White Reed, and his family moved onto the farm. Burgess Reed purchased the farm from his father in 1945. He and his wife, Eddie Lee Reed, were the parents of four children.

Rest Tennessee Farm was founded in 1884 by John Thomas Newmand and his wife, Mary Jane Newman. At that time, the farm was a part of Davidson County and John Newman was the post master. The post office was in a corner of the yard and people would deliver and pick up their mail and water their horses. This is how the address and post office came to be called Rest, Tennessee. The 159 acres produced tobacco, hay, corn, wheat, vegetables, fruits, and nuts and supported swine and mules. The couple had nine children. Family tradition recounts visits by Jesse James and his gang who would rest their horses and ask Mary Jane Newman to cook for them. Viola, one of the five daughters of the founding couple and her husband, Wiley Rediker, were the next owners of the land. They also had nine children.

The third generation owners were Marvin Ellis and Allene Rediker Ellis, granddaughter of the founders, who acquired the farm in 1945. Both Mr. and Mrs. Ellis were active in the Cheatham County Farm Bureau, each serving as President for multiple terms. Allene continues to serve as Farm Bureau Womens Chairman. Marvin, who died in 1985, was also a Director and President of the Eastern Dark Fired Tobacco Growers association. An excellent and creative cook, Allene won first place in “The Tennessee Beef Cook Off Contest” in 1978 and also won numerous Dairy Foods contests. Allene Rediker continues to be actively involved in the management and operation of the farm. The 159 acre farm now produces tobacco, corn, wheat, fruits, vegetables, nuts and hay and supports mules and swine. Mrs. Rediker reports that on the farm is a log house, built in 1933, a house built in 1929, and log smokehouse and two other outbuildings dating from 1884. Family members living on the farm today, in addition to Mrs. Ellis, include Joyce E. Rose, Jeanne and Jeff Spears, and Jennifer and James P. Binkley.

In 1910, James Washington Fielder and his wife, Annetta Frazier Fielder, transferred almost 17 acres to James Houston Fielder and his wife, Hettie Adkins Fielder. The farm, located in Cheatham County, is approximately two miles from the Henrietta community. As was the case on many other farms in this area, tobacco was the primary cash crop, but the family also raised vegetables, hay, hogs, chickens, corn, wheat, cattle, sheep and fruit. James and Hettie were the parents of Everett, Clyde, Lance (called “Snooks”) and Dalton.

Lance “Snooks” Fielder acquired his father’s farm in 1945. Lance expanded the farm to 279 acres and continued to raise tobacco, hogs, hay, corn and cattle. Lance married Effie Mae Barfield and, as they had no heirs, Everett Fielder Jr., a grandson of farm founder James Houston Fielder, acquired the 279 acre farm in 1973. Everett married Anita Grigg and they were the parents of six children.

Today, the Rolling Hills Farm is owned by Anita Grigg Fielder, the widow of Everett Fielder Jr., and their daughter, Brenda Fielder. Brenda is married to Jimbeau Hinson. The family owns the original acreage that the founder acquired in 1910and raises cattle and hay on the property. The original farmhouse, home of the founding couple, is still in use by the family and has been restored. The family also maintains an original smokehouse, which serves as a family museum and two log corncribs that the owners use for storage.

In 2006, Brenda Fielder, who serves as farm manager, received the Outstanding Conservation Farmer of the Year for Cheatham County. In November 2011, the family gathered at the historic farm to celebrate their Century Farm certification as well as the birthday of Mrs. Dalton Fielder (“Mama D”) Gupton, who was born on the farm 90 years ago and has lived her life on Houston Fielder Road. Rolling Hills Farm is the 14th Century Farm certified in Cheatham County.

James Omar Walker owns two adjacent Century Farms within Cheatham and Robertson counties. The Walker Farm dates to 1860 when T. M. Walker acquired 125 acres of land on which he cultivated wheat, corn and tobacco. He also raised swine and cattle and operated a mercantile business in Pleasant View. A religious man, Walker helped build the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in 1881.

Married three times, Walker had nine children and his son A. H. Walker inherited 101 acres of the farm between 1909 and 1918. In 1949, the current owner acquired 79 acres of the property, where he still practices the general farming of his father and grandfather, cultivating tobacco, hay, corn, soybeans and cattle. Because the construction of Interstate Highway 24 eliminated 22 acres of the farm, it now contains only 79 acres of the original Walker land.

The Felts Farm was originally the property of James T. Felts, who established the farm by 1875 at a location two miles south of Pleasant View. On 236 acres, James and Mary Morris Felts grew corn, tobacco and wheat while breeding cattle, horses and swine.

James and Mary had two children and their daughter Gillie and her husband Arthur H. Walker acquired 134 acres of the family land in 1934. Today the founder’s grandson, James O. Walker, owns the Felts Farm, where his land yields soybeans, corn, tobacco, hay and cattle. He operates both the Walker and Felts Farm as one agricultural unit.

The Wayne Shearon Farm shares a common history with the Jimmy E. Shearon, Sr. Farm because each was a part of a 286-acre farm founded in 1813 by Sterling Harris Shearon and his wife Nancy Anne Williams Shearon. Sterling and Nancy had six children and their son, Jesse Shearon became the next owner of the property. In 1858, the land was passed to Jesse’s brother, Joseph Washington Shearon.

Today, the great-great-great-great son, Wayne Shearon and his wife Glenda Glasgow Shearon live on 92 acres with their sons Darryl and David. This family’s land, now known as the Wayne Shearon Farm, produces tobacco, hay, wheat, and supports cattle. Additionally, the home built in 1920 still stands on this land today.