On December 26, 1753, Colonel Josiah Willard led a proprietors' petition for a Putney charter to be established in the Equivalent Lands.

The charter was issued that day by Governor Benning Wentworth – issuer of the New Hampshire Grants under the authority of King George II of Great Britain.

The town arose in a large plain on the west side of the Connecticut River, above the mouth of Sacketts Brook.

A falls on the brook provided water power for early mills, and it is around that point that the main village was formed.

The village's character is defined by the Federal and Greek Revival styles popular during its most significant period of growth, the late 18th to mid-19th century.

The Connecticut River serves as the eastern border of Putney, separating the town from Westmoreland, NH.

Amtrak's Vermonter passenger rail line runs through Putney but does not stop in town.