The station was built in 1926 by Graham L. Clifford, an early supervisor of the White Mountain National Forest. At the time of its construction, Cherry Mountain Road was part of the Jefferson Turnpike, a toll road passing through the mountains. (The road is one of the longest and best-preserved sections of this old turnpike, which dates to 1811, and is now a seasonal road maintained by the Forest Service.) It was one of the first guard stations to be built in the forest, serving as temporary residences for Forest Service employees assigned to guard that section of forest at a time when transportation was relatively difficult.