After 15 years of English colonization, a 30 acre section of land around Indian Hill in current day West Newbury was purchased from an indigenous man Great Tom for three pounds.

"[3] The initial proposals had been made in the late 18th century, but determined resistance from the town of Newbury, which had already lost Newburyport, blocked the measure for decades.

West Newbury has evolved from a rural farming town into a community[4] facing the issues of balancing development and need for affordable housing[5][6] against the townspeople's desire to maintain West Newbury's rural charm and character[7][8] have been in play for at least fifty years.

[13] In addition to comb making, a shoe factory operated where the West Newbury Pizza Company currently exists.

The museum boasts a collection of horn combs and adornments manufactured in West Newbury, along with cooper's tools original to the house.

It is bordered by Merrimac and Amesbury to the north, Newburyport to the east, Newbury to the southeast, Groveland to the southwest, and Haverhill to the west.

Significant efforts have been made by residents to maintain the rural character of the town through advocacy for the preservation of open spaces.

In March 1952, Julian Steele, the sole African-American voter among some 1,500 residents at the time, was elected West Newbury's town meeting moderator.

West Newbury and its residents were the models for Popperville, the setting of Virginia Lee Burton's children's story Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel.

[36] West Newbury also provided the geographical inspiration for the Mad Scientists' Club series of stories by Bertrand R. Brinley.

Portions of John Cena's music video, "Right Now", were shot in West Newbury, with the remainder filmed at Hampton Beach, New Hampshire.

In the late summer and fall of 2008, various scenes from Mel Gibson's film Edge of Darkness were shot on Church Street.

[37] West Newbury is home to Emery House, monastery guesthouse and sanctuary of the Society of St. John the Evangelist.

In 2019 the town, in conjunction with Essex County Greenbelt Association, purchased an agricultural preservation restriction for Brown Spring Farm, permanently eliminating rights to develop the farmland and making it affordable for a new farmer.