The land on which Hickory Grove developed was granted to John McKenney in 1771 by George III of England. A post office was operating there as early as 1831, and a free public school was located there by 1851. In 1888 the Charleston, Cincinnati, and Chicago Railroad completed its line through Hickory Grove, connecting the area to coastal South Carolina. When the town was incorporated in 1888, it was one square mile in size, centered at the intersection of York Street and Wylie Avenue. J. N. McDill served as the first intendant, and Dr. J. W. Allison, J. W. Castles, T. M. Whisonant, and J. H. Wylie were wardens. The Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church maintained its orphanage there from 1897 until 1905.