History :

Cheraw was founded in 1906 due partly to the building of railroad lines through the area.: Cheraw was given its name to honor Colonel Wiley who came from Cheraw, South Carolina.: Mr. Beamer, the original owner of the land, said that if there was ever alcohol sold in Cheraw, the town would lose the deed to the land. The land would revert back to his heirs. This is one of the main reasons there have never been any saloons or liquor stores in Cheraw.A few of the first founding families of Cheraw include Estep's, Luginbill's, Gronet's, Goff's and Ball's.:In the 1920's, the count was 298 people.The current population is approximately 320.In the 1970's, Cheraw was known for being the "Turkey Capital of the World". It is said that more turkeys were raised, processed and sold in Cheraw than anywhere in the WORLD. That industry closed in the early 1970's. Most of the former turkey ranchers now raise cattle, hogs, corn and/or alfalfa hay.