Cherry Grove Township

History of Warren County Pennsylvania                    Schenck 1887

               Cherry Grove Township was formed in 1847. In the month of May of 1832, Adam L. Pratt and Richard Dunham, with Dunham's wife and infant child, crossed the Allegheny River at Shipman’s Eddy. They were assisted by Matthew Morrison, and were met on the south side by John Inglesby, who had previously settled in the dense forests of Cherry Grove, but becoming disheartened, had moved out again. He guided the party to his former home in Cherry Grove. There they remained several weeks while they repaired an old cabin. In June, they moved to this cabin, chopped and cleared ten acres, sowed it in wheat, and had an excellent crop in the ensuing season.

               Josiah Farnsworth built the first saw-mill in the township, on his place, about 1853. There were also other sawmills in town.

               Cherry Grove has exemplified the peculiarity of the growth and decay incident to so many towns which have felt the thrill of petroleum excitement. In 1882, oil was discovered in great quantities, and started the famous boom which led to the erection of a village almost in a day. Within two or three months, people flocked to the site, wells were drilled, shanties erected, dwellings built, stores and hotels raised, and a village of about 6,000 people occupied the area. The oil soon played out and the people moved out as quickly as they had come.

Courtesy of the Warren County Historical Society