First granted in 1769 by Governor John Wentworth, the town was named for William Petty Fitzmaurice, Earl of Shelburne.

[4] On August 3, 1781, the town was attacked by a party of six Indians, who had earlier raided Bethel and Gilead, Maine.

The rest of the inhabitants fled to Hark Hill, where they spent the night before sheltering in Fryeburg.

[4] Shelburne provided excellent soil for farming on either side of the Androscoggin River, but not far from the stream it becomes mountainous.

The Atlantic and St. Lawrence Railroad, which opened to Gorham on July 23, 1851, and later became the Grand Trunk Railway, passed through the southern part of the town.

[4] Located at the northern end of the Mount Washington Valley, Shelburne has a beautiful grove of birch trees, popular with artists and photographers, dedicated to the town's soldiers who served in World War II.

The highest point in Shelburne is on the town's southern boundary at 3,970 feet (1,210 m) above sea level, just a few steps north of the 4,049-foot (1,234 m) summit of Mount Moriah.