Named for the eighth president of the United States, Van Buren was settled as a haven for Acadians escaping British oppression in 1755. In 1791, the area near Keegan, a village just north of the Van Buren was settled by Acadians who farmed and worked in the lumbering industry.
Incorporated on February 11, 1881 from Van Buren Plantation, the town is located at the junction of United States Routes 1 and 1A, in the northeastern portion of the state.