The Town of North Collins is comprised of about 30 square miles, largely located between Route 62 and Route 75 between Eden and Gowanda.  The Village of North Collins is located on Route 62.

The first settlers came to this area in 1809, 1810, and 1811 during the onset of the War of 1812.  They were primarily English Quakers from New England who settled in the hamlets of Lawtons, Shirley and Marshfield, and Rose's Corners (now known as the Village of North Collins).

The second wave of settlers arrived from Germany beginning in 1830 and settled in the hamlets of Langford and New Oregon.  The third wave of immigrants was largely Italians from the City of Buffalo who came o work on the farms here around 1900 and shortly thereafter.  They lived mostly in the Village of North Collins.

The Town of North Collins separated from the Town of Collins in November 1852 as the Town of Shirley.  The name of the town was changed to Town of North Collins in 1853 by the NY State Legislature at the request of residents of the town.  Although the hamlets of Langford, Lawtons, Marshfield, and New Oregon are still known in the town, the hamlet of Shirley is now unrecognized.  The Village of North Collins was incorporated in April 1911.  At various times in our history, each of the hamlets had their own post office.

Religious congregations have always been a mainstay in the town beginning with the Society of Friends - Orthodox Quakers (from 1811), Hicksite Quakers (from 1832) and Progressive Friends (from 1854), and Spiritualists (from 1880 until 1930). All these began with the Orthodox Society of Friends and metamorphosed. The Congregationalists form net (in 1818), then Baptists (1825-1859), Universalists and Presbyterians (shared the Congregational Church until 1844), Methodist Episcopals (from 1848), Free Methodists (circa late 1800's to early 1900's), and Roman Catholics (since about 1900).