It was described as early as the 18th century as "the most charming country village", with a tree-lined promenade that is still a focus of the town center.

The district consists of about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) of Orford Street, between its junctions with New Hampshire Route 25A and Archertown Road, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

Near the southern end of the district stands its only surviving commercial building, at the southwest corner of Bridge Street.

The promenade consists of a now-paved lane flanked on either side by mature trees, and was first laid out about 1800.

At the northernmost end of the district, just east of the promenade, is the town cemetery, established in 1773 on land donated by Israel Morey.