While known to earlier explorers, including the Dutch, the area was first explicitly mentioned in Chinese annals in 1694 as Shimenshan (石門山; "Stone Gate Mountain"). During the period of Imperial Japanese rule, Shimen was called Sekimon Village (石門庄), and was governed under Tamsui District of Taihoku Prefecture. In 1945 when the Kuomintang took over administration of Taiwan the area became Shimen Rural Township, a part of Taipei County. With the reorganization of Taipei County in 2010, Shimen became a district of the newly created New Taipei City.