[29] Four Cheatham County Farms Join Ranks of State's Century Farms Program

For Release: Aug. 8, 2011
Contact: Caneta Hankins, Center for Historic Preservation, 615-898-2947


FOUR CHEATHAM COUNTY FARMS JOIN RANKS OF STATE’S CENTURY FARMS PROGRAM

Oakdale and North Oakdale Farms, Reed Place and Click Place Recognized for Agricultural Contributions

MURFREESBORO— The Oakdale and North Oakdale Farms, Reed Place and the Click Place, all located in Cheatham County, have been designated as Tennessee Century Farms, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms Program at the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU.
The Century Farms Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have owned and kept family land in continuous agricultural production for at least 100 years. The addition of these four farms brings Cheatham County’s number of Century Farms to 13. Information on all 13 farms will be part of a special exhibit at the Cheatham County Fair Aug. 22-27, and the farms’ owners are scheduled to be honored on Aug. 21.
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.
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.
In 2006, Henry Jr. and Glenda Batts and Henry III and his wife, Debra, purchased the acreage from Andrea. Henry III and Debra Batts are the parents of Christina Audry, Catherine Nicole and Henry F. Batts IV. The Batts children represent the ninth generation to work the land at Oakdale and are Charles and Sarah Gent’s great-great-great-great-great-great grandchildren. The Batts family has improved the parcel by adding two ponds stocked with fish, and they now work both Oakdale and North Oakdale farms.
The third new Century Farm, 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.
In 1970, Eddie Lee Reed’s heirs inherited the farm: Sara Elizabeth Mays, Jennie Ruth Harris, Burgess Willard Reed and Linda Joyce Holyfield. In 1972, Jennie Ruth Harris and her husband, Lloyd Harris, purchased the farm from the other heirs. Today the farm produces cattle and horses; Lloyd Harris works the farm, and Jennie Ruth Harris is actively involved in managing it.
The fourth new Century Farm, the Click Place, originated when John Elzie “J. E.” McLaughlin purchased 25 acres in the 13th 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.
Since 1984, the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farms Program.
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit www.tncenturyfarms.org. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132 or 615-898-2947.
• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To interview the farm’s owner or request jpegs of the farm for editorial use, please contact the CHP at 615-898-2947.

Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. In September 2011, MTSU will celebrate its 100th year anniversary with special events and activities throughout the year — kicked off by a Blue-Tie Centennial Gala on Friday, Sept. 9.