The Dougherty Farmstead is associated with the early settlement and agricultural development of the Snoqualmie River Valley. As one of the best-preserved early farmstead landscapes in King County, the property includes a highly distinctive vernacular farmhouse, several ancillary buildings, extensive former pasturelands and a remnant historic orchard. The nominated property is at the heart of what was once a prosperous 160-acre dairy farm, and it is illustrative of the evolution of a large working farm in relation to the changing community of Cherry Valley and the dairy industry as a whole. Additionally, the Dougherty Farmhouse is a rare and highly intact late nineteenth century vernacular farmhouse, and a remarkably well-preserved example of settlement era domestic architecture in King County. James O’Leary, an early Snoqualmie Valley stump farmer and dairyman, built it in 1888. Despite having been moved from its original location in 1910, the farmhouse is significant for its architectural value, as well as for its long association with agricultural activity at its current location. Furthermore; the farmhouse is closely associated with the history of the Cherry Valley area, having served as the site of early church services, as the home of the community’s first post office and as the centerpiece of a large and prosperous dairy farm.

The Laura and Horatio Allen Farm is historically significant as a well-preserved example of a prosperous Snoqualmie Valley dairy operation of the early 20th century. The farm is locally renowned for its 50-year association with the Horatio and Laura Allen family, prominent valley dairy farmers who are said to have been the largest breeders of Jersey cattle in King County. All of the extant buildings – an Arts & Crafts inspired farmhouse, twin arch-roofed hay barns, and several outbuildings, are of high architectural quality and relatively good integrity. The farm’s pastoral landscape, shaped by a half-century of Allen family activities, is an important component of the farm.