In 1862, the Wilmington, Charlotte and Rutherford Railroad (later known as the Carolina Central Railroad) reached White Pine. Construction of the railroad westward from Cherryville was interrupted by the Civil War, so that throughout the war Cherryville was a western terminus of the railroads in North Carolina. When construction resumed and the railroad extended beyond Cherryville, the town served as a water and coal stop. Along the railroad, a local resident planted cherry trees, and the train engineers soon began calling the settlement "Cherryville". The town was incorporated under this name in 1881.Local History , Official City of Cherryville website. Retrieved on 2008-07-14.
