Water power from Nine Mile Creek attracted mill development (wool, paper, and gunpowder) while the Seneca Turnpike (image above), passing through the village center, provided access.

Ambitious for its early date, it retains fine detail in the Federal style, including original windows with old glass.

The Caleb Gasper House (formerly the Marcellus Free Library, 4 Slocombe Street), c. 1811, retains an entrance likewise in the Federal Style.

The Hiram Reed House (31 North Street), 1853, is an example of a residence in the new Italianate style of the mid-nineteenth century, surrounded by park-like grounds.

The Edward Talbot House (Masonic Lodge, 46 East Main Street), c. 1835, is an earlier brick building altered in the Italianate style.

Original entry porch columns were removed in more recent times, but otherwise the building is an example of mid-nineteenth-century architecture.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 0.6 square mile (1.6 km2), all land.