Amherst was founded in 1807. Originally known as "The Oaks" and "Seven Oaks", it began as a stagecoach station on the
Charlottesville to
Lynchburg road. Once
Nelson County was separated from
Amherst County in 1807, the
community became the seat of Amherst County. It was at this time that the village decided to rename itself in honor of French and Indian War hero
Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst. Major-General Amherst had been the hero of the
Battle of Ticonderoga and later served as the
governor of the
Colony of Virginia from 1763 to 1768. In 1847, local planter
William Waller, aged 58, walked from Amherst to
Louisiana with about 20
slaves for sale. His letters home during the trip, held by the
Virginia Historical Society, provide rare documentation of a
slave coffle. On April 15, 1910, Amherst was incorporated by the order of the
Circuit Court. A
charter was granted to the town by the
General Assembly in 1950. The official town seal was created by Ward Cruea, a commercial artist from
Dayton, Ohio. His original proposal featured the "sleeping giant" (the
Blue Ridge Mountain ridgeline west of Amherst), but this was rejected as it represented an area outside the town's limits. According to town legend, while a group was in the Clerk's office in the town hall engaged in conversation on the topics of the day, and looking eastward along East Court Street, it was suggested that the Amherst courthouse be used as a model for the official seal. During that era, a large letter "A" was attached to a radio antenna tower beside the telephone company building adjacent to the courthouse. This internally illuminated "A" was used as a visual navigation beacon by aircraft pilots. Approximately six months later Cruea returned to the town and delivered a framed original of a proposed seal. It incorporated the courthouse, the "A," and the town's date of incorporation. Cruea's proposal was adopted soon thereafter and became Amherst's official seal. The original seal is located on the wall of the town council chambers. One of the main landmarks of the town is the
roundabout located at the intersection of Main Street and
U.S. Route 60. "The Circle," as it is affectionately referred to by Amherst residents, is the oldest traffic circle in the
Virginia Department of Transportation system. The Village Garden Club installed and maintains the fountain and the landscaping at the circle. Another Amherst landmark is the Amherst County courthouse. An original courthouse was built in 1809 but was torn down in 1872, and the current building was built shortly thereafter. All Amherst County records have been stored there since 1761 when Amherst‑Nelson counties were divided from
Albemarle County. The Thompson's Mill-Amherst Mill Complex was previously home to Amherst Milling Co. The main building is an “evolved” structure with elements dating from at least the late 19th- century. It was active in the production of
cornmeal and flour before closing in 2017. In 2018, the
Virginia Department of Historic Resources placed the building on its
Virginia Landmarks Register. Other important sites located in or near the town include the
Bear Mountain Indian Mission School,
Edgewood, 1818,
Edgewood, 1858,
Fairview,
Forest Hill,
The Glebe,
Dulwich Manor, and
Tusculum. These places are all listed on the
National Register of Historic Places. ==Geography==