The building, which was designed by American architect H. H. Richardson, opened in June 1884 to consolidate two separate stations nearby.

[1] It was built of granite from Flynt's quarry (which had its own branch off the NLN in Monson) and trimmed with brownstone from Longmeadow.

The Central Vermont became part of the Grand Trunk Railway in 1899, which in turn was nationalized by the Canadian government in 1922.

Local service was operated until April 24, 1960, after which only Palmer, Springfield, Pittsfield, and Albany remained stops west of Worcester.

[6] Amtrak's Bay State, Montrealer, Vermonter, and Lake Shore Limited service that have passed the station since then but have not stopped in Palmer.

[7] The Steaming Tender Restaurant, which caters to railfans observing busy rail traffic, opened in 2004.

The Central Corridor Rail Line would run on the NECR, while increased Boston-Springfield frequencies on CSX have been proposed by the state.