Beacon was named to commemorate the historic beacon fires that blazed forth from the summit of the Fishkill Mountains to alert the Continental Army about British troop movements. Later, the old Mount Beacon Incline Railway connected the town and the summit of Mount Beacon for recreational purposes. It was one of the steepest incline railways in existence and took an estimated 3.5 million people up the 1,540-foot climb where they could then visit the Beaconcrest Hotel, the Casino and the Beacon Reservoir.