Mason: A History

Mason is centrally located in the state of Michigan, just a few minutes south of Lansing, the state capital. As the Ingham County seat, Mason is known for its historic courthouse, charming downtown, and high quality school system. While Lansing is the state capital, Mason has remained the Ingham County seat, making Michigan the only state in the country with a capital city that is not also the county seat.

The first officially recognized inhabitants of the Mason area were the Native Americans from the Potawatomi, Chippewa, Ojibwa and Ottawa tribes, including the famous Chief Okemos. Chief Okemos and his band used the area for hunting grounds, and there were numerous trails that the Native Americans made as they lived upon the land. These trails were later used by the early settlers as they made their way into what would become Mason.

In the Treaty of Saginaw in 1819, the United States government negotiated with prominent Native American chiefs, resulting in the U.S. government taking possession of most of the land in lower Michigan. In the 1830s and 1840s, early pioneers began to purchase the land that would eventually become Mason and the surrounding areas. As more pioneers chose to settle in the area, land was converted for agricultural use. This reduced the amount of wild game that the Native Americans had counted on. Also, diseases such as smallpox and measles hit the Native American population hard and their population dwindled, as the land became settled by more and more pioneer families. However, up to the early 1900s the local Native American Ojibwa tribe had a noticeable and interactive presence in the town.

Although agriculture played a prominent role in Mason’s history, as the County seat, the community was also the center of Ingham County activity. An early timeline, up to the 2000s, traces some of the major developments of Mason that forged the thriving city it has become today.

1830s

In 1836, Lewis Lacey was the first settler to arrive in the area that would become Mason. He built a sawmill for Noble & Co. This was the first sawmill in the county.

In 1836, Charles Noble purchased a tract of forest and cleared 20 acres of it. It is said he was in search of a central location to establish a new capital when Michigan became a state. He named the area “Mason Center”, though the “Center” was soon dropped. Mason is named after Stevens T. Mason, Michigan’s first governor, who served from 1835 to 1840.

In 1837, Judge Ephraim Bushnell Danforth, an associate of Noble & Co. settled in Mason.

In 1837, the first schoolhouse in Mason was built. Miss Lucy Rolfe was the teacher and there were eight students at that time.

1840s

In 1840, Mason was selected as Ingham County’s seat due its central location.

In 1840, the Rayner House was built by John Rayner for the family. Located across the road from Rayner Park, Rayner eventually accumulated 320 acres of land. Legend has it that Chief Okemos’s twin sons played with the eldest son, William Rayner, on this land.

In 1842, two brothers, John and Mark Childs, started the Ingham Telegraph, the first newspaper to be printed in Ingham County. However, it was out of business eight months later due to the differing political views of county treasurer Jason Packard.

In 1843, Ingham County’s first downtown courthouse was built in Mason.

1850s

In 1854, the school known as the “pink school” was built by William F. Near for $299.95. There were several stories as to why it was painted pink. The most common story was that insufficient red paint was donated, so some white paint was added making the paint pink.

In 1858, the courthouse was replaced.

In 1858, Mason’s first grist mill was built. Called the Phoenix Mill, it was built by Henderson and McRobert. G.G. Mead took over the mill when he moved to Mason, MI from Westchester, NY.

In 1859, after some upheaval and instability with newspapers Mason, the first Ingham County News was published by David B. Harrington. Mason had about 70 families living there at that time. Harrington sold the newspaper eleven years later.

1860s

In 1865, Mason was incorporated into a village.

In 1865, the Jackson, Lansing, and Saginaw Railroad laid tracks through Mason, allowing access to the Michigan Central Railroad in Jackson.

1880s

In 1880, the Farmers’ Bank was organized.

In 1881, the Rayner Opera House opened. This brick building seated up to 800 people and was named for businessman and Mason resident C.J. Rayner.

1870s

In 1870, the village got permission from the county to sink an artesian well in the courthouse yard. It was 676 feet deep and the water was said to be rich in iron and other minerals, believed to be helpful in treating numerous disorders. The well eventually lost power and ceased flowing entirely. In 1870, the First National Bank was organized.

In 1870, Mason’s first high school was built, where the Jefferson Square Senior Housing complex is now.

In 1872, William Rayner established Rayner Park. The park would continue to be improved and enlarged throughout the years, with walking trails, fishing ponds, picnic area and well loved playground area.

In 1875, the village of Mason became a city.

In 1877, the City of Lansing tried to take the status of county seat for itself. Instead, Lansing and Mason made an agreement that moved some county offices and courts to Lansing in exchange for Mason remaining the County Seat. Michigan is the only state in the country with a capital city that is not also a county seat.

1890s

In 1890, the Hotel Horton, a brick two-story building, was erected by James P. Horton.

In 1902, Michigan Central Railroad constructed a railroad depot on the site of the previous freight depot. This historic building served rail passengers until the 1930s.

In 1904, a new school was built, serving not only high school grades, but also primary school grades.

In 1905, the courthouse was once again replaced. This courthouse was designed by respected Lansing architect Edwyn A. Bowd in the Beaux Arts style of architecture and was built by George W. Rickman and Sons Company of Kalamazoo.

1920s

In 1921, the second Mason High School building was destroyed by fire.

In 1923, a third high school was built and opened, and served students until 1981. This building now serves as apartments for senior citizens.

In 1923, after several owners, Vernon J. Brown bought the Ingham County News. This began a Brown family ownership that would span three generations and half a century.

In 1925, the Dart Bank became a commercial bank. This is also the year the bank’s longtime CEO Rollin Bashford Dart was born.

By 1950, there were more than thirty planes based at Jewett Airport.

In the early 1950s, William A. (WA) Dart, son of founder William F. Dart, joined his father in business. By the late 1950s, their company focused on producing high-quality foam cups from a relatively new material called expandable polystyrene (EPS).

1960s

In 1963, Dart Manufacturing Company became Dart Container Corporation. This company’s success has caused Dart to expand across the globe, including more than 35 locations in 4 countries. Dart has about 13,000 employees worldwide.

1970s

In 1971, the Ingham County Courthouse was named to the Michigan Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1976, the “pink school” was moved to W Ash St and was turned over to the Mason Historical Society.

In 1977, the Capital Region Airport Authority purchased the 180 acres of airport property from Arthur Jewett as a reliever airfield for Capital City Airport (now Capital Region International Airport) in Lansing. The existing buildings at the airport were removed and a new 3,000 feet (914 m) asphalt runway was built.

1930s

In 1937, William F. (WF) Dart opened a small machine shop called Dart Manufacturing Company. The company prospered by making plastic key cases, steel tape measures, identification tags for the armed services and children’s toys, including a popular marble race game.

1940s

In 1943, Arthur Jewett purchased the 180 acres Elsworth Farm southeast of Mason, which he would turn into Jewett Airport.

1980s

In 1985, the Mason railroad depot was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1987, the Milliman family bought the Ingham County News.

1990s

In 1992, the Mason railroad depot was turned into the Mason Depot Diner, serving home cooked family style food.

In 1999, the Ingham County News was changed to the Ingham County Community News and it is now a subsidiary of the Lansing State Journal’s Lansing Community Newspaper chain, owned by Gannett, which is one of the most powerful media conglomerates in the United States.

2000s

In 2010, in recognition of its 50th Anniversary, Dart Container Corporation made 50 grants totaling $250,000 to schools and organizations in the communities where they have production facilities and offices.

In 2011, Lansing Community College purchased a hangar at Jewett Field to house the college’s aviation mechanics program.

In 2011, the science fiction sports drama Real Steel was released. The courthouse scenes in this movie were filmed at the Ingham County Courthouse in Mason.

Mason Today

Today, Mason is a combination of small industry, local businesses, county government, and agriculture. It also serves as a bedroom community for those who work in Lansing but prefer to live in a small town atmosphere. With a historic courthouse, many historic homes, and thriving and pleasant downtown, Mason is a charming small city with much to offer both residents and visitors. Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mason,_Michigan#:~:text=Ingham%20 County’s%20first%20downtown%20courthouse,was%20 Lansing%2C%20the%20state%20capital.

https://www.dartcontainer.com/about-us/

http://michiganhistory.leadr.msu.edu/history/

https://masonmuseum.org/cpage.php?pt=13

https://masonmuseum.org/upload/files/ TheCityofMasonpastpresent18381897.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan_Central_Railroad_Mason_ Depot

http://bc.ingham.org/Portals/BC/Historical_Commission/ PioneerHistory/chapter2.pdf

http://michiganhistory.leadr.msu.edu/recreation-2/#:~:text=Built%20 in%201840%20by%20John,blacksmith%20shop%20and%20an%20 icehouse.