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Shelton House - ShenkPhoto: Robshenk · CC BY-SA 3.0
C−History
History · Mechanicsville

Mechanicsville’s post office opened in 1928, and 9 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 21% of U.S. towns · #156 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it

Most of Mechanicsville was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1990. Below: 15 old photos and papers, maps from 1894 on, and the census since 1970.

1928first post office
9on the National Register
2%homes built before 1940
15old photos & papers
12famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Mechanicsville’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Mechanicsville began

When was Mechanicsville founded?

1928

The Mechanicsville post office opened in 1928, the earliest record of the town by name. Five smaller post offices, Cold Harbor (1823), Pole Green (1879) and Ellerson (1884), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 5,189 in 19702020 census: 39,48298 years

How historic is Mechanicsville?

C−

More historic than 21% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Mechanicsville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Mechanicsville’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Mechanicsville is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns, #156 of 253 in Virginia. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Mechanicsville’s overall grade.
Founding era1928, from the first post office: founded 1900–1944, an older era than 9% of U.S. townsDHomes built before 19401.6% of homes (±0.7) · typical VA town 1.9% · U.S. 8.4%C−National Register9 listings, 26 historic buildings, 6.7 per 10,000 residents · typical VA town 3.6 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 21%
NewerOlder
Virginia towns of 2,500+ (253)Ahead of 38%

Virginia towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Virginia town has 3.6 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Mechanicsville’s 6.7 sits near the middle of its state (49% of Virginia towns have fewer) while its 26 historic buildings outnumber those of 81% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C+. The pre-1940 share (±0.7 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Mechanicsville’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Lost villages5 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Mechanicsville, and 29 old place names are still on the map.On the map since 18947 editions of the USGS map, 1894 to 1994. Watch Mechanicsville change.A town in old photos15 old photos, postcards and papers, 1801–1975.Landmarks on the Register9 places on the National Register.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Mechanicsville’s post office has been open since 1928. Five other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Cold Harbor
1823–1903
Pole Green
1879–1906
Ellerson
1884–1961
Newmans
1890–1906
Atlee
1892–1950
Mechanicsville
1928–today
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
AvondaleBattlefield GreenBell Creek NorthBrandy Creek EstatesBurnside FarmsCherrydaleCherrydale WestDogwood KnollEllersonEllerson MillFieldshireHanover HeightsHanover Heights SouthHolly RidgeMayfield FarmsMeadow GateNewmanPearsons CornerPole GreenRaven RunRobin RidgeSharon ParkSpring MeadowsStonewall Estates
Gone or out of use
Ford BridgebridgePleasant Grove SchoolschoolSchool Number 1schoolShady Grove Churchchurch
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Mechanicsville
AbrahamWalnut GroveZion

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

On the map

Mechanicsville on the map, 1894 to 1994

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Mechanicsville. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Mechanicsville on the 1894 USGS mapMechanicsville on the 1934 USGS mapMechanicsville on the 1956 USGS mapMechanicsville on the 1964 USGS mapMechanicsville on the 1974 USGS mapMechanicsville on the 1981 USGS mapMechanicsville on the 1994 USGS map1894Richmond sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Mechanicsville.

By decade

Mechanicsville, decade by decade

4 decades in the archive, from the 1800s to the 1970s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1800s1 item
Ellerson's Mill. Battle-field of Mechanicsville, Va1801Ellerson's Mill. Battle-field of Mechanicsville, Va
1860s11 items
Two scenes near Mechanicsville1862Two scenes near MechanicsvilleRebels leaving Mechanicsville. Union batteries shelling the Village1862Rebels leaving Mechanicsville. Union batteries shelli…Shelling the rebel works on the Chickahomy [sic] across the Mechanicsville bridge1862Shelling the rebel works on the Chickahomy [sic] acro…Grave of Corporal James Bryant of Co. E, 1st New York Light Artillery Battery, who was killed by lightning1862Grave of Corporal James Bryant of Co. E, 1st New York…McClellan reconnoitering the Turnpike to Richmond from the Peach Orchard at Mechanicsville1862McClellan reconnoitering the Turnpike to Richmond fro…Fight at Mechanicsville [changed to] Beaver Creek between McCalls division and the rebels under Jackson1862Fight at Mechanicsville [changed to] Beaver Creek bet…Mechanicsville, Va1865Mechanicsville, VaMechanicsville, Virginia - negative by J. Reekie, positive by A. Gardner1865Mechanicsville, Virginia - negative by J. Reekie, pos…Mechanicsville, Virginia1865Mechanicsville, VirginiaMechanicsville, Va. Ellerson's mill1865Mechanicsville, Va. Ellerson's millMechanicsville, Va. View of houses1865Mechanicsville, Va. View of houses
1930s2 items
Powhite1933PowhitePowhite1933Powhite
1940s–1960snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
1970s1 item
Richmond Ellerson station, December 19751975Richmond Ellerson station, December 1975
1980s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today3 recent
Untitled photo2012Untitled photoVAMap-doton-Mechanicsville2005VAMap-doton-MechanicsvilleKevin Grubbc. 2002Kevin Grubb
The story

How Mechanicsville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Mechanicsville.

Read it all →

The area was settled by English colonists starting in the 17th century. Rural Plains, also known as Shelton House, is a structure built in 1670 and lived in by male Sheltons until 2006. Located in the northern part of the Mechanicsville CDP, it is now owned and operated by the National Park Service as one of the sites of the Richmond National Battlefield Park.

In addition to Rural Plains, Clover Lea, Cold Harbor National Cemetery, Cool Well, Hanover Meeting House, Hanover Town, Immanuel Episcopal Church, Laurel Meadow, Oak Forest, Oakley Hill, Selwyn, and Spring Green are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

ChaptersAmerican Civil War

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Mechanicsville, 1800 to 2002

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1800BuiltTotomoi is built
  3. 1801In the archiveEllerson's Mill. Battle-field of Mechanicsville, Va
  4. 1823Post officeThe Cold Harbor post office opens
  5. 1862In the archiveTwo scenes near Mechanicsville
  6. 1866BuiltCold Harbor National Cemetery is built
  7. 1879Post officeThe Pole Green post office opens
  8. 1884Post officeThe Ellerson post office opens
  9. 1894On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  10. 20th century
  11. 1903Post officeThe Cold Harbor post office closes
  12. 1906Post officeThe Pole Green post office closes
  13. 1933In the archivePowhite
  14. 1961Post officeThe Ellerson post office closes
  15. 1975In the archiveRichmond Ellerson station, December 1975
  16. 1977Born hereJason Mraz is born here
  17. 1978Born hereKevin Grubb is born here
  18. 21st century
  19. 2002Born hereTyler Warren is born here
  20. 2002Born hereDamian Gallegos is born here
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Ellerson's Mill. Battle-field of Mechanicsville, Va
Retake this viewEllerson's Mill. Battle-field of Mechanicsville, Va, 1801

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Mechanicsville’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

9 historic places in Mechanicsville

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
9
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
26
each building in a district counts
first listed
1975
Rural Plains
Rural PlainsTotomoi, built 1800Oakley HillLaurel MeadowCold Harbor National Cemetery, built 1866Oak ForestSelwynBrook Road Marker, Jefferson Davis HighwayCool Well
BuildingsSitesStructures

Architectural styles listings

Federal5
Greek Revival2
Late Victorian1
Second Empire1
Rural PlainsBuilding
TotomoiFederal · Built 1800
Oakley HillGreek Revival
Laurel MeadowFederal
Cold Harbor National CemeteryLate Victorian · Built 1866
Oak ForestFederal
SelwynFederal
Brook Road Marker, Jefferson Davis HighwayStructure
All 9 listings
Cool WellBuilding · listed 2007

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Mechanicsville, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00040,00019802000202039,482

Grew from 5,189 people in 1970 to 39,482 in 2020, 7 times over.

6 censuses, 1970–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Mechanicsville’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

12 famous people were born in Mechanicsville

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Jason MrazAmerican singer-songwriter · b. 1977
Kevin GrubbAmerican racing driver · b. 1978
Tyler WarrenAmerican football player · b. 2002
D
Damian GallegosAmerican soccer player · b. 2002
J
Josh WellsAmerican football player · b. 1991
W
Wayne GrubbAmerican racing driver · b. 1976
Help out

Finish Mechanicsville’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewEllerson's Mill. Battle-field of Mechan…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

East Highland Park1 historic placeCChamberlayneIts storyD

Questions about Mechanicsville’s history

What year was Mechanicsville founded?

The Mechanicsville post office opened in 1928, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Mechanicsville rank for history?

Mechanicsville is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns, #156 of 253 in Virginia. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Mechanicsville?

9 listings: 7 buildings, among them the Rural Plains (listed 1975, the first), 1 site, and 1 structure. 26 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Mechanicsville?

2% of Mechanicsville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 1.9% for a Virginia town; the median home was built in 1990.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (8), the Library of Congress (10), the National Register of Historic Places (9), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.