 Originally known as "The Oaks" and "Seven Oaks", it began as a mere stagecoach station on the Charlottesville-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.