Pennington Bend in Madison Nashville, TN
Circa 1928. Norman-style stone home
Sherwood Forest was built on the bank of the Cumberland River in Madison near the top of Pennington Bend by Newman L. Cheek (1896-1979) and Sarah Richardson Johnson Cheek (?-1971).
The home was a Norman-style stone home with a slate roof and turret. Behind the house was Cheek Lake and gardens until reaching the riverfront. Cheek was the youngest son of Joel Cheek, Sr., founder of Maxwell House Coffee Co. and cousin of Leslie Cheek of Cheekwood. Newman and Sarah married in 1921. Especially during the 1930s, Newman and brother Robert Cheek were substantial investors in Nashville Trust Co., and Newman remained a Board Member until the merger with Third National Bank. He founded Lakewood Water Company, and by 1939 had changed its name to Madison Suburban Utility District. He was also a member of the Board of Trustees of George Peabody College. Cheek was very involved in the community: establishing Jackson Park and giving land for Inglewood Library. In the mid-1920s, Cheek created a 7-acre lake, Cheek Lake, to help supply water to his estate and the nearby Madison neighborhood. Unfortunately, in doing so, the new lake covered up the remains of the historic Haysboro village.
In 1979, Benjamin “Ben” Rucker Betty III (?-pre-2012) and Nancy Dobson Betty (1933-2012) purchased the property. They wed in 1958. Nancy served as 1973 Fannie Battle Christmas Carol Chairman and served on the Board of the Centennial Club. They had 9 acres of estate and a 7 acre lake. In 2019, it remains in private hands with unknown owners at the end of Lakewood Dr. See Cheekwood, Oak Hills, Westwood (Woodmont)
Sources:
https://law.justia.com/cases/tennessee/court-of-appeals/1992/835-s-w-2d-1-2.html’
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