1 Schuyler Street
Belmont, NY 14813
Phone: 585.268-5522

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Village History
The Village of Belmont was originally laid out in 1833 and named
Philipsburg in honor of Philip Church. The Village was
incorporated on February 1, 1853 as Philipsville, but everything
east of the Genesee River, which runs through the Village, was
called Miltonville. In 1870 a referendum was held at a local
hotel and 70 male voters decided on the name Belmont - - from
the French "beaumont" meaning "beautiful hills".
With construction of the Erie Railroad through the Genesee
valley in 1849 - 1850, Belmont grew rapidly. By 1857 a movement
was underway to move the Allegany County seat from Angelica to a
more centralized location and closer to the depot for the New
York and Erie Railroad.
Surrounded by controversy, Belmont became the county seat in
1859. The conflict, however, was not completely resolved. A
courthouse was built in Belmont, although court was held
alternately between Angelica and Belmont until 1892 when all
court session were finally moved to Belmont. Since that time,
the Village has been the primary home of the Allegany County
government.
A new courthouse was built in 1938 with a commanding view of
both the Village and the Genesee River. In 1976 a new county
office building was built adjacent to the courthouse - - housing
the jail, legislative chambers, social services, sheriff's
department, and health department. In 2006 the sheriff's
department and the county jail were moved to the new public
safety facility located must outside the Village of State Route
19.
In addition to being the county seat, Belmont is home to
numerous businesses, the new Genesee Valley Central School, the
Fountain Arts Center, and many other attractions. |
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