Mason County is a rural

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

located on the

Edwards Plateau The Edwards Plateau is a geographic region at the crossroads of Central, South, and West Texas. It is bounded by the Balcones Fault to the south and east, the Llano Uplift and the Llano Estacado to the north, and the Pecos River and Chihua ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. At the 2020 census, its population was 3,953. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

is Mason. The county is named for Fort Mason, which was located in the county.

History

* Original inhabitants Lipan Apache,

Comanches The Comanche or Nʉmʉnʉʉ ( com, Nʉmʉnʉʉ, "the people") are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in ...

* 1847

Meusebach–Comanche Treaty The Meusebach–Comanche Treaty was a treaty made on May 9, 1847 between the private citizens of the Fisher–Miller Land Grant in Texas (United States), who were predominantly German in nationality, and the Penateka Comanche Tribe. The treaty was ...

* 1851, July 6 – Fort Mason is established. * 1858, January 22 – Mason County, named for Fort Mason, is established by an act of Texas state legislature. First post offices are established. * 1860 Population of 630 includes 18 slaves. * 1861, : February – County, spurred in part by anti-slavery sentiments of German residents, overwhelmingly votes against

secession Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics l ...

from the Union. : March – Fort Mason surrendered to the Confederacy, who leave it mostly vacant and thereby cause an uptick in Indian attacks on the area. : May 20 – Voters select town of Mason as County Seat. * 1866–1868 Federal troops occupy Fort Mason, only to eventually abandon it. * 1869 Courthouse and jail are erected. * 1870 May 16 –

Herman Lehmann Herman Lehmann (June 5, 1859 – February 2, 1932) was captured as a child by Native Americans. He lived first among the Apache and then the Comanche but eventually returned to his family later in life. The phenomenon of a white child raised by I ...

and brother Willie are captured by Apaches, but Willie escapes within days. * 1870–1898 The county had four women homesteaders: Louisa J. Hendryx, Mahala Hunnicutt, Sarah E. Morris and Priscilla Sparks * 1875–1877 : County’s first newspaper begins publication. : Hoo Doo War over cattle rustling. : Most famous participant in the war is

Johnny Ringo John Peters Ringo (May 3, 1850 – July 13, 1882), known as Johnny Ringo, was an American Old West outlaw loosely associated with the Cochise County Cowboys in frontier boomtown Tombstone, Arizona Territory. He took part in the Mason County ...

, who on September 25, 1875, kills James Cheyney. : Courthouse fire destroys all records. * 1878, May 12 – Herman Lehmann, escorted by soldiers, finally returns to his family. * 1880s Manganese is discovered. Wakefield Company opens Spiller mines. Iron ore is discovered. Prospecting begins for gold, silver and coal. * 1882–83

Hereford Hereford () is a cathedral city, civil parish and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, south-west of Worcester, England, Worcester and north-west of Gloucester. ...

cattle are introduced into the county. Provisions made for county wide road work. * 1887 The county petitions for state aid for needy residents. * 1890s County places a bounty on wolves, wildcats and mountain lions. * 1902 Mason installs its first telephone in the county judge's office. * 1918 October 3 – Eighteen months after

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...

declares war on

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

, the Mason County Council of Defense draws up resolution to abandon the use of the German language in the county. The majority of County residents are of German heritage. * 1919 First oil and gas lease in the county. Construction begins on the Mason County section of the Puget Sound-to-the-Gulf Highway. * 1920s Radios come to Mason County. * 1938 Pedernales Electric Cooperative is formed to provide rural electrification. Mason County joins in June. * 1946 Local soil-conservation board organized. County schools consolidated. * 2021

Mason County Courthouse (Texas) The Mason County Courthouse is an historic courthouse building located in Mason, Texas. Built in 1909 to 1910 at a cost of $39,786, it was designed by Georgia-born American architect Edward Columbus Hosford, who is noted for the courthouses an ...

, constructed in 1909, burns down as a result of arson.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.4%) is water.

Major highways

* U.S. Highway 87 * US 377

U.S. Highway 377 * Texas 29

State Highway 29 * Texas 71

State Highway 71

Adjacent counties

* McCulloch County (north) * San Saba County (northeast) * Llano County (east) * Gillespie County (south) * Kimble County (southwest) * Menard County (west)

Demographics

''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.'' At the 2000

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

, there were 3,738 people, 1,607 households and 1,110 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 4 per square mile (2/km²). There were 2,372 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.60%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 0.13%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.62% Native American, 0.05% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 5.75% from other races, and 1.82% from two or more races. 20.95% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race. There were 1,607 households, of which 25.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.10% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 7.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.90% were non-families. 29.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.83. 22.40% of the population were under the age of 18, 4.70% from 18 to 24, 20.70% from 25 to 44, 28.80% from 45 to 64, and 23.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 92.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.60 males. The

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways ...

was $30,921 and the median family income was $39,360. Males had a median income of $28,125 compared with $20,000 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

was $20,931. About 10.10% of families and 13.20% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 20.50% of those under age 18 and 13.30% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

* Mason (county seat)

Unincorporated communities

* Art * Fredonia * Grit * Hedwigs Hill *

Hilda Hilda is one of several female given names derived from the name ''Hild'', formed from Old Norse , meaning 'battle'. Hild, a Nordic-German Bellona, was a Valkyrie who conveyed fallen warriors to Valhalla. Warfare was often called Hild's Game. ...

* Katemcy * Loyal Valley * Pontotoc

Notable people

* J. Marvin Hunter (1880–1957): Born in Mason County.

Historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...

, printer of the ''

American West The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the Wes ...

'', founder of ''Frontier Times''

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

and the Frontier Times Museum in

Bandera Bandera - from a Spanish word meaning a ''flag'' - may refer to: Places * Bandera County, Texas ** Bandera, Texas, its county seat ** Bandera Creek, a river in Texas, with its source near Bandera Pass ** Bandera Pass, a mountain pass in Bandera C ...

* Anna Mebus Martin (1820–1864): Chartered the Commercial Bank of Mason, wealthy business woman and rancher. * Louis (Ludwig) Martin (1820–1864): Co-founder of Hedwigs Hill, Mason County Justice of the Peace. *

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Coke Stevenson Coke Robert Stevenson (March 20, 1888 – June 28, 1975) was an American politician who served as the 35th governor of Texas from 1941 to 1947. He was the first Texan politician to hold its three highest offices (Speaker of the Texas House ...

(1888–1975): Born in Mason County. * Leonie von Meusebach–Zesch (1882–1944): Born in Mason County. Pioneer dentist. * Gene Zesch (1932–) Sculptor * Fred Gipson (February 7, 1908 – August 14, 1973), author of Old Yeller

Politics

References

External links

Library of Congress Historic American Buildings Survey (Mason Co)

Mason County government's website
*

{{authority control 1858 establishments in Texas Populated places established in 1858 German-American history Texas Hill Country