Located in the geographic center of Clark County a mile due west of Battle Ground, the Cherry Grove community is more than 100 years old.
Named for the time that wild cherry trees grew in abundance, the community still boasts its share of cherry trees, but most of them now are the domestic varieties. The twisted trunks and gnarled limbs of some of these trees suggest they were planted during the 1800s, at the time Cherry grove was thriving as a dairy and farming center.
The name predominant in the history of Cherry Grove is the same name linked so closely with the growth of Vancouver; the Hidden family. Lowell M. Hidden, patriarch of the family that left a heritage of bricks and buildings, was a Cherry Grove pioneer.
According to old records, Hidden came to Clark County in 1869 and obtained 400 acres in the Cherry Grove area, just south of the present intersection of Northeast 239th street and Northeast 92nd Avenue,. Here, Hidden operated a large potato farm.
The first school in the Cherry Grove district is believed to have been started in a private home in 1879. In 1893, Hidden donated land for a school at about Northeast 244th Street. His son, W. Foster Hidden, was one of the first teachers in this school, conducting classes there in 1896 and 1897.
Other pioneer families were those of John Piper, George Dimmick, Tom Eves, thomas Whalen and Hollis Taylor.
As the community grew, the need for a church developed. In May 1910, a church was built with lumber donated by Robert Watson Sr. Built by volunteer labor on the east side of 92nd Avenue.
The church originally was United Brethren. In 1944, the building was purchased by the Society of Friends, and the name was changed to the Cherry Grove Friends Church.
In the 70’s little remained of the pioneer past of Cherry Grove, except for the old church building. The original school had been remodeled into a home.
The Cherry Grove of the past had a reputation as a fine dairying region.