Cherry Grove Baptist Church was established by members of Springfield Baptist Church in Washington who sought a more convenient place of worship near their rural community. That community, which came to be known as Cohentown, was formally established a few years later by Peter Arnett (1842-1891), a formerly enslaved man who purchased over 60 acres from an ex-Confederate soldier and opened the area to Black ownership.
As with most rural churches of the era, Cherry Grove first held services in a brush arbor, then built a log structure, before constructing a more formal home. That structure served from the late 1800s until it was lost in a storm in the early 1900s. The present structure, seen here, was built in the first decade of the 20th century and the brick was added much later.
Some of the ministers of the church are listed on a cornerstone, though the list is incomplete. They include: W. M. Gladmon; C. L. Lockhart; E. D. Harris; Samuel Sims; Eddie Thomas; and Ervin Norman, Sr.
My two great grandfathers passed down the road from Danburg, GA to Wasington, Ga on the 30 day trip from the surrender of the Confederate army at Appomattox to their home at Edison, SW Georgia. 155 left home, 75 lived, 13 made it to appomatox, and they were among the 13. One of them who could read and write, left a diary of the route home, and since 1990 up to 20 or so of my family and friends hike 10 miles of their route to listen to the birds and smell the flowers, and commemorate their survival. We have rested on the steps of this church, when hiking from Danburg to Washington, Ga.