It is a well-preserved example of a traditional farming village, centered at the five-way junction of Meadow, Pine, and North Pleasant Streets, and Sunderland and Montague Roads.

[1] The crossroads at the center of North Amherst took shape in the mid-18th century, when the area was still part of Hadley.

By the early 19th century there was a small cluster of buildings around the junction, and by 1833 there were a church, school, and tavern, as well as parsonage and doctor's residence.

The area remained predominantly agricultural; small-scale industrial activity took place on the river but did not last.

Most of the residential buildings are of wood frame construction, and were built before about 1850, although there are a number of later instances.