Cheatham County, Tennessee

Cheatham County Education, Geography, and History

Cheatham County is a county located in the state of Tennessee. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 39,105. Cheatham County was created by an Act of the Tennessee General Assembly in 1856, from lands formerly of Davidson, Dickson, Montgomery, and Robertson counties. Cheatham County was named for Edward Saunders Cheatham, a state legislator. Its county seat is Ashland City.

Cheatham County is part of the Nashville-Davidson–Mufreesboro–Franklin, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of Cheatham County Name

Named in honor of Edward Cheatham (1818-1878), member of Tennessee state house, member and speaker of the state senate, businessman and railroad president.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

History of Cheatham County

Created 1856 from Davidson, Dickson, Montgomery and Robertson counties; named in honor of Edward Cheatham (1818-1878), member of Tennessee state house, member and speaker of the state senate, businessman and railroad president.

Cheatham County was formed in 1856 from Davidson, Dickson, Montgomery and Robertson counties. (Acts of Tennessee 1855-56, Chapter 122).

Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture
The Tennessee General Assembly created Cheatham County on February 28, 1856, from parts of Davidson, Robertson, Montgomery, and Dickson Counties. The county name honors Edward Saunders Cheatham, Speaker of the state Senate. At the first county court meeting at Sycamore in May 1856, the commissioners purchased fifty acres of land on the north side of the Cumberland River from James Lenox for the establishment of Ashland City. Proceeds from the sale of town lots financed the construction of a courthouse and jail. The courthouse, completed in 1858, was replaced by a larger, brick structure in 1869. In 1886 a brick jail supplanted the original log jail; following a fire in 1935, it was rebuilt, and a new jail was erected in 1986.

Several archaeological sites, including ones listed on the National Register of Historic Places, document activities by Native Americans who once lived in the county. Early white settlers in the county established settlements at Sycamore, Pleasant View, and Ashland City. To provide for the safety of the first settlers, a blockhouse was erected at the fork of Half Pone and Raccoon Creeks. Find more from the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture: CHEATHAM COUNTY

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 307 square miles (795 km²), of which, 303 square miles (784 km²) of it is land and 4 square miles (12 km²) of it (1.46%) is water.

The county is bisected from northwest to southeast by the Cumberland River, with Ashland City located on its northern bank. The southern portion of the county is bisected from southeast to northwest by the Harpeth River, which meanders through generally hilly country, and along whose course are located the communities of Kingston Springs, largely to the north of Interstate 40, and Pegram, along State Highway 70. The western border of the central portion of the county is defined by the course of the Harpeth. The hills east of the Harpeth and south of the Cumberland are partly set aside by the state as the Cheatham State Wildlife Management Area. North of Ashland City the hills subside into more level highlands, where the community of Pleasant View is located just south of Interstate 24, which generally delineates the northern border of the county.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Robertson County (northeast)
• Davidson County (east)
• Williamson County (south)
• Dickson County (west)
• Montgomery County (northwest)

Education

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