Mechanicsville was a village center in the Town of Mount Holly, which was chartered in 1792. The village prospered with the growth of water-powered manufacturing, including sawmills, gristmills, wheelwrights, furniture shops, and the A.P. Chase Toy Factory. As manufacturing declined, Mechanicsville became popular with vacationers. Citizens petitioned to change the village name to Belmont to better fit the image of an idyllic summer retreat, and the change was enacted on September 2nd, 1911.