Editing Mechanicsville, Virginia (section)

==History==
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, Virginia|Hanover Town]], [[Immanuel Episcopal Church (Mechanicsville, Virginia)|Immanuel Episcopal Church]], [[Laurel Meadow (Mechanicsville, Virginia)|Laurel Meadow]], [[Locust Hill (Mechanicsville, Virginia)|Locust Hill]], [[Oak Forest (Mechanicsville, Virginia)|Oak Forest]], [[Oakley Hill]], [[Selwyn (Mechanicsville, Virginia)|Selwyn]], and [[Spring Green (Mechanicsville, Virginia)|Spring Green]] are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>

In downtown Mechanicsville stands a stone windmill, now a landmark in the area. The building was constructed as a Heritage Bank branch office in the 1970s. In 2007–2008, it was restored and enlarged by a new bank occupancy. The "windmill" is decorative and driven by an electric motor.

===American Civil War===
Mechanicsville, and the surrounding area, was the site of numerous battles during the [[American Civil War]]. The first was the [[Battle of Beaver Dam Creek]], which began on June 26, 1862. [[Confederate States Army|Confederate]] General [[A.P. Hill]] launched a series of assaults against [[Union Army|Union]] Major General [[Fitz John Porter]]'s army positioned along Beaver Dam Creek, just east of Mechanicsville. Union forces repulsed the Confederate attacks and afterward withdrew to a new position along Boatswain Creek near Gaines' Mill. The Beaver Dam Creek engagement was the second in the series of Civil War battles known as the [[Seven Days Battles]]. A small portion of the battlefield in the southeast part of the CDP has been preserved as part of the [[Richmond National Battlefield Park]], a park area administered by the [[National Park Service]].

The [[Battle of Gaines' Mill]] was the third of the [[Seven Days Battles]], occurring farther east of Mechanicsville. A portion of the battlefield has been preserved at the "Watt House" as part of the [[Richmond National Battlefield Park]], a park area administered by the [[National Park Service]].

Near Gaines' Mill was the [[Battle of Cold Harbor]], the final major battle of [[Union army|Union]] Lieut. Gen. [[Ulysses S. Grant]]'s 1864 [[Overland Campaign]]. This was fought over the same ground as the Battle of Gaines' Mill. The area identified as part of the battlefield for "Second Cold Harbor" stretches from near the intersection of Walnut Grove Road and Mechanicsville Turnpike to "Turkey Hill" near the Rt. 156 crossing of the [[Chickahominy River]]. An area of the battlefield which saw heavy casualties and a nearby post-war National cemetery are preserved as historic monuments.