It was always an agricultural community, owing the rich farmlands along the Connecticut River, which separates it from its parent town.

Tobacco was from an early date a significant crop, which did particularly well, and was the source of the town's fortunes in the 19th century.

Shade-grown tobacco, particularly prized for use as the wrapping of cigars, was introduced in the town in 1901, and remained an important crop into the 1970s.

Houses lined the street, with narrow strips of farmland extending west to the river, and eastward as well.

In many instances, houses have been replaced by later construction, resulting in a wide variety of architectural styles, despite some consistence in spacing and scale.