Chernavka was founded by landowners and small gentry on the eve of the 1745 census and was originally called "the newly settled village of Chernavka." 15 families of settlers, mostly from the Krapivinsky district of Ryazan province, arrived on the free lands along the Vorona River. The wooden church, built in 1865 and once adorning Chernavka, has not survived to this day. In its heyday, the church had a parish school and a free canteen for students. Today, almost nothing remains of the former grandeur of the wooden church, which was designed in an eclectic style.