The old town Common is east of Union Falls, which is the location of Skelton Dam, operated by Central Maine Power, and near historic location of the original settlement at Pleasant Point.

It was assigned to Philemon Dane of Ipswich, Massachusetts and 119 other veterans (or their heirs) who had fought in King Philip's War against the Narragansett Indians in 1675.

Settlement was attempted in the early 1740s but abandoned because of the ongoing French and Indian Wars.

Amos Chase was one of the pioneers of the town, and his daughter was said to be the first white child born in Buxton.

He was a prominent figure in the area, one of the largest taxpayers, and was the first deacon of the Congregational Church in Pepperellborough (present-day Saco, ME).

Paul Coffin for the spa town of Buxton in Derbyshire, England, for unknown reasons.

A gristmill called Bog Mill was built at the outlet of Bonny Eagle Pond.

Salmon Falls had sawmills capable of turning out four million feet of lumber annually.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places are Elden's Store, the Buxton Powder House, the First Congregational Church, Royal Brewster House and Salmon Falls (East) Historic District.

Bonny Eagle Pond is a 211-acre (0.85 km2) body of water located in the northern part of the town.

Buxton borders the towns of Gorham to the northeast, Scarborough and Saco to the southeast, Dayton to the south, Hollis to the west and Standish to the northwest.

The climate is humid continental, similar to nearby towns such as Concord, New Hampshire.