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Mason, Texas

Everything Mason is known for

2 songs mention this city

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Music in Mason

Songs About Mason

nine miles north of mason
dub miller
10%
"nine miles north of mason thats where i make my stand"
Tough Little Boys
Gary Allan
10%
"Well I didn't cry, when Old Yeller died"

Artists From Mason

No artists from Mason in the database yet.

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Rivers & Roads in Song near Mason

Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Mason.

Texas State Highway 71 2 songs San Saba River 2 songs Pedernales River 6 songs Interstate 10 36 songs

History of Mason

Mason, TX RoadyGoat

Mason's history is marked by conflict and resilience. The city was established around Fort Mason, built in 1851 as a defense against Native American tribes. The 'HooDoo Wars' of 1875 saw clashes between Confederate veterans and German ranchers, leading to a series of violent incidents. One notable event was the murder of Tim Williamson by vigilantes, which sparked a reign of terror led by his adopted son, Texas Ranger Scott Cooley, and his gang, including Johnny Ringo, who committed his first murder here.

Mason, TX RoadyGoat

The 'HooDoo Wars' of 1875 were a series of violent conflicts between returning Confederate veterans and German ranchers in Mason. These events, including the murder of Tim Williamson and the subsequent reign of terror led by his son, Scott Cooley, and Johnny Ringo, are notable in the city's history.

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Mason, TX RoadyGoat

The current granite courthouse in Mason, built in 1909 by architect E. H. Hosford and Co. in the Classic Revival style, is a significant landmark. Despite burning down in 2021, it had been a central part of the city's landscape for over a century.

RoadyGoat →

Mason - The Hoo Doo War

1875

The Mason County War of 1875-1876, known as the Hoo Doo War, was a bloody feud between German settlers and American cattlemen over cattle rustling and vigilante justice.

Commercial Bank

1901

German immigrant Anna Mebus (1843-1925) came to Texas in 1858 and married her merchant cousin, Karl Martin (1828-1879). After his death she continued to operate their Mason store and post office, and by the 1880s was handling the cash of area ranchers. In 1901 she helped establish and became president of The Commercial Bank, opened with $3,000 capital. Before a bank building was acquired in 1903, cash was taken home at night. Her sons, Charles (1861-1940) and Max (1863-1941), served as bank officers and helped coin the bank's motto, "Safety-Service-Silence." The family operated the bank until 1958. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986

Historical Marker →

Fort Mason

1851

After the Mexican War and the annexation of Texas by the United States, the population of the state began to increase rapidly, but the increasing numbers were crowded into a limited area because Indians controlled the majority of the state. To open new areas and provide protection for settlers, in 1848 the United States War Department authorized a line of army forts from the Rio Grande to the Red River. Fort Mason's location on Post Oak Hill near Comanche and Centennial creeks in the northern part of what was then called Gillespie County was chosen by Lt. Col. William J. Hardee, assisted by Richard Austin Howard , on July 6, 1851. Hardee left the actual establishment of the post to Bvt. Maj. Hamilton W. Merrill and companies A and B of the Second Dragoons. The post was most likely named either for Lt. George T. Mason, who was killed at Brownsville during the Mexican War, or for Gen. Richard Barnes Mason, who died only a year before the fort was established. During the next ten years, or until the beginning of the Civil War , the fort played an important part in settlement of the area. Settlers at first stayed close to the fort, but as the aggressive attitude of the military became apparent, additional settlers located farther from the post. The Indians-Kiowas, Lipan Apaches, and Comanches-were driven farther away and began making fewer raids into the settlements. The fort was closed several times during that decade, first in January 1854. It was reoccupied by Company A, First Dragoons, from March to May and was occupied by various companies of the Second United States Cavalry from January 14, 1856, to March 29, 1861, when it passed into the hands of the secessionists. The fort reached its maximum population in January 1856, when the headquarters and companies B, C, D, G, H, and I of the Second Cavalry were all stationed there, with Col. Albert Sidney Johnston in command. Twenty officers stationed at Fort Mason before the Civil War became generals. Twelve fought for the Confederacy, eight for the Union. Among these generals were Earl Van Dorn, Fitzhugh Lee, E. Kirby Smith, George H. Thomas, Robert E. Lee, John Bell Hood , William J. Hardee, and Philip St. George Cooke. Fort Mason was designated regimental headquarters for the Second Cavalry several times. For a short period during 1862 the Confederate Army held 215 men prisoner, mostly civilians accused of being Union sympathizers, in the fort. During August 1862 they were marched to Austin. Indian depredations during the Civil War and immediately afterward were worse than they had ever been. The area was terrorized by killings, thefts, and nuisance raids. Texas state troops and minutemen had been unable to cope with the problem. The United States Army, in the form of the Headquarters Company with field staff and officers and the regimental band and Company F of the Fourth United States Cavalry , reoccupied the fort on December 24, 1866. Gen. John Porter Hatch was the commanding officer. The fort was repaired and improved through the use of civilian artisans and military labor. Reconstruction lawlessness also affected military personnel; a large number of desertions and courts-martial were reported. Cavalry were replaced with soldiers from the Thirty-fifth Infantry over a period of time. The last inspection of the fort occurred on January 13, 1869. The report listed twenty-five buildings, mostly vacant and in need of repair; only sixty-nine men were present. The order to close the fort was carried out on March 23, 1869. During 1870 the state of Texas organized several companies of frontier forces. Fort Mason was reopened in September of that year as headquarters for Companies A and B, Frontier Forces. Capt. James M. Hunter, later county judge of Mason County, was in command for most of that year. During the next year the forces were disbanded or moved, and for the last time the fort was closed. Although the fort buildings and land became private property, the rock buildings wer

Tsha Handbook →

Mason County War

1874

The Mason County War, commonly known as the Hoodoo War, was one of a number of feuds that developed over the stealing and killing of cattle. As early as June 25, 1874, Wilson Hey, presiding justice of Mason County, wrote Governor Richard Coke requesting that troops be stationed in the county to help deal with cattle rustling . Since many of the settlers of the county were Germans , there began to be a perception that they were pitted against the American-born residents, and neither group was able to get protection from the cattle thieves. The trouble began seriously when the sheriff, John Clark, jailed nine men on charges of stealing cattle. Before a trial was held, four of them escaped, but a mob of about forty men took the remaining five from the jail on February 18, 1875, led them to a place near Hick Springs, and hanged them. Daniel W. Roberts of the Texas Rangers , a few of his men, and a group of citizens followed the mob but were not in time to save the prisoners. Lige Baccus and his cousin were dead; Tom Turley was hanged but not dead; a man named Johnson escaped; and the fifth, Wiggins, was shot, and died the next day. Though a district court investigated the incident, nothing came of it. On May 13, 1875, Sheriff Clark sent Deputy Sheriff John Worley to Castell to bring Tim Williamson to Mason to make bond on a charge of cattle stealing. Worley and his prisoner were attacked by twelve men with blackened faces. Though Williamson was not armed, he and his horse were killed. No trial was held for this murder, and a real feud ensued. Scott Cooley, a former Ranger, swore revenge for the death of his friend Williamson. He collected the names of the men he thought responsible for Williamson's death, got together a following of his own-including John and Mose Beard, George Gladden, and John Ringgold-and began a ruthless retaliation that resulted in the killing of at least a dozen men. One of his early victims was John Worley, who was killed on August 10, 1875, while he was working on his well. It was commonly agreed that Scott Cooley shot him through the head and took his scalp. A number of violent incidents followed Worley's death, and sources disagree over the names and dates. The citizens of Mason sent a petition to Governor Coke asking for protection. A week later John Ringgold and several others are said to have killed John Cheney (Cheyney) as he was preparing breakfast for some strangers at his home. The governor sent Maj. John B. Jones with twenty or thirty men from Company A and ten from Company D of the Texas Rangers to quiet the difficulties. On September 28, when they reached Cold Springs, they found Clark and fifteen to twenty followers, who said they had heard that the Cooley faction was heading that way to "burn out the Dutch." That day Daniel Hoerster was shot off his horse in broad daylight as he was passing the Southern Hotel, and Peter Jordan (a friend of Hoerster's) and Gladden were wounded. Jones made an investigation at Cold Springs before he joined Daniel Roberts to attempt to get to the source of the trouble. During a gunfight at Keller's store on the Llano River, Clark and Keller's son wounded Mose Beard and George Gladden. Beard died, but Gladden was sent to his home at Loyal Valley to recover. At some point during the feud, a mob appeared at John Gamel's ranch on Mill Creek looking for Gamel and William Coke. They arrested Coke and Gamel's foreman, Ike Beam, and Sheriff Clark sent them back to Mason under separate guard; Coke was never seen again. Johnson, one of the survivors of the February 1875 lynching, is said to have shot a man named Miller, reportedly the last person to have been seen with Coke; Johnson then fled the county. Clark was later investigated regarding the Coke incident, but the case against him could not be proven; he subsequently left Mason. Meanwhile, Major Jones and his rangers continued to search for Cooley and his followers without success and with little cooperation from the

Tsha Handbook →

Bush, Wanda May Harper

1949

Wanda Harper Bush, the most decorated cowgirl in the history of the Women's Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA), was born to Alvin and Gussie (Martin) Harper on October 6, 1931, in Mason County, Texas. Wanda helped around the family's ranch and rode horses. When she was eight, her brother, Alvin Clarence "A.C.," was born. At a young age, she learned rodeo skills by roping and tying goats. After Wanda progressed from goats to calves, she began competing in rodeos . Before she graduated from Mason High School in the spring of 1949, she became one of the first members of the Girls Rodeo Association (GRA), which later became the WPRA, and held membership card number fourteen. She quickly made a name for herself in rodeo circles and became the all-around GRA champion in 1951, 1952, and 1954. In 1953 she was barrel race champion and came in second in the all-around category. She regularly took the championship title in barrel racing, ribbon and calf roping. Nearly two decades before Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in the famed "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match at the Astrodome ( see SPORTS ), Wanda Harper competed against a man, Pete Taylor of Doole, Texas, in a calf roping contest in San Angelo in 1956 and beat his time by 21.1 seconds. Although a humble woman who focused more on training her horses than media attention about her accomplishments, she appeared on an episode of the television show To Tell the Truth in April 1958. Over her long rodeo career, Wanda competed in barrel racing, cutting, flag racing, calf roping, and ribbon roping. She earned thirty-two world championships and nine all-around titles throughout her career. This made her the most decorated cowgirl in the Women's Professional Rodeo Association's history as of 2017. In 1957 Wanda married Stanley Bush, a cutting horse trainer and later world cutting champion, in Mason County, Texas. The couple competed in rodeos as well as bred and trained horses, many of which became champions, for five decades. Before she married, she trained famous champion quarter horses , Dee Gee, Phoebe Chess, and Flying Eagle, at the Harper family ranch. Then, she and her husband raised and trained their progeny. After their marriage, the couple continued the tradition of training champion mares. Stanley Bush's cutting horse Royal Chess, progeny of Phoebe Chess, was inducted into the National Cutting Horse Association Hall of Fame in 1970. Wanda and Stanley had a daughter, Shanna, on August 14, 1959, who followed in her parents' footsteps when, in 1984, she qualified for the National Finals Rodeo. Wanda not only taught her daughter rodeo skills, she also traveled the country and held skills clinics for young people. In the 1980s Wanda served on the WPRA board as the Texas ProRodeo Circuit director at a crucial point in the WPRA's history. Many of the top rodeos were in Texas. Barrel racers earned less than half the amount of winnings as men in similar events despite having similar costs and fees. Barrel racing was also one of the more popular rodeo events. In 1981 the WPRA began requiring that purse (prize) money for barrel racing events in all rodeos be equal to half the purses offered in men's events and equal purse money for women's events by 1985. Wanda Bush played a crucial role in keeping Texas rodeos in the barrel racing circuit and bringing gender equality to Texas rodeos. Every single Texas rodeo agreed to raise the purse winnings and stay on the circuit, and many credit, at least in part, the respect and clout Wanda had built during her career as a barrel racer in rodeo with this success. She was later honored by the WPRA with the Coca-Cola WPRA Woman of the Year in 1989. After her rodeo career ended, Wanda and Stanley, along with Wanda's brother A. C., continued to train horses on the Harper-Bush Ranch. At eighty-four years old, Wanda Bush died of a heart attack on December 29, 2015. Her service was held at the Mason Funeral Home Chapel, and she was interred in the Ha

Tsha Handbook →

First Comanche-German Meeting

1847

At this site on February 5, 1847, seven or eight Penateka Comanches headed by chief Ketumusua (also Ketumsee, Katemcy, Katemoczy) had their first encounter with an expedition of German immigrants led by John O. Meusebach. The group of about forty settlers left Fredericksburg on January 22 to explore the area between the Llano and Colorado rivers included in the Fisher-Miller land grant. The Society for the Protection of German Immigrants (Adelsverein) had acquired colonization rights to the tract, and Meusebach, the society’s general agent, chose a diplomatic approach to interacting with the people already living here. The Comanches, carrying a white flag, approached the Germans’ camp and asked whether they intended to wage war. Meusebach replied that they had come in peace and presented gifts. After they held a consultation through an interpreter, Ketumusua invited the Germans to visit his village on the San Saba River. The parties had a meal together, and the Comanches escorted the Germans to their camp. This first meeting laid the groundwork for a successful peace council on March 1-2, 1847, a rare instance in American history when native people and immigrant settlers negotiated a voluntary agreement for sharing territory. The Comanches honored their treaty with the Germans even as they continued to be in conflict with other settlers. Ketumusua later became the Principal Chief of the Southern Comanches, and Meusebach was elected to the Texas State Senate. Their first meeting is remembered as a significant exchange between two cultures who added to the intertwined history of the Texas Hill Country.

Historical Marker →

Things to Do in Mason

historical 0.1 mi away
The Hoo Doo War

The Mason County Hoo Doo War of 1875 was one of the bloodiest feuds in Texas history pitting German settlers against Anglo cattlemen over stolen livestock.…
quirky 0.1 mi away
The Texas Topaz Capital

Mason County is the only place in the world where you can find the official Texas state gem -- blue topaz -- just lying on the ground. Ranchers have been…
quirky 0.1 mi away
The Prohibition Moonshine Hills

During Prohibition the limestone caves and deep ravines around Mason became one of the biggest moonshine operations in Texas. German settlers who had been…
nature 0.1 mi away
Llano Uplift

The Llano Uplift is a hundred-mile circle of Precambrian basement rock pushed up through the younger Hill Country limestone. The pink granite at Enchanted Rock…
historical 0.1 mi away
The German Frontier

Mason was settled by German immigrants in the 1840s who brought their language their Lutheran churches and their absolute refusal to own slaves. They were so…
historical 0.7 mi away
Old Fort Mason and Robert E. Lee

Robert E. Lee commanded Fort Mason in 1861 just weeks before resigning his U.S. Army commission to join the Confederacy. He wrote agonized letters from this…
quirky 11.7 mi away
The Eckert James River Bat Cave

Every summer evening six million Mexican free-tailed bats pour out of a cave on the James River near Mason in a tornado-shaped column visible from miles away.…
quirky 0.1 mi away
The Lavender Fields of the Hill Country

Mason County has quietly become a lavender-growing region with fields of purple stretching across the limestone hills every June. The rocky soil and brutal…
day trip
Day Trip to Mason 💎🔍 (FULL EPISODE) S5 E9

Featured on The Daytripper — a full-episode local travel guide.

Sports in Mason

🏆 STATE CHAMPIONS Class 2A · Football · 2018

Mason Punchers — 2018 UIL 2A Division 1 Football State Champions

Most recent: 44-6 over New Deal · 2018 2A Division 1 final

Mason High School, a Class 2A powerhouse in the heart of Texas, has established a notable football tradition. The Punchers have a state championship to their name, a significant achievement for any program. The community's support for its team is a consistent presence, reflecting the deep roots of high school football in this part of the state.

The Punchers' success on the field brings a distinct energy to Mason. While no specific alumni have gone on to professional or major college careers from the provided information, the program's championship season remains a point of pride, showcasing the dedication and effort put forth by its student-athletes year after year.

State titles
2018
Most recent
2018, 44-6
Class
2A
The moment

The 2018 2A Division 1 State Championship saw Mason triumph over New Deal with a final score of 44-6.

Sources: Wikipedia · UIL State Championship Archives · SI High School (ScoreBook Live)

Everything Near Mason

107 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

  • Mason, TX

    Mason's history is marked by conflict and resilience. The city was established around Fort Mason, built in 1851 as a defense against Native American tribes. The 'HooDoo Wars' of 1875 saw clashes between Confederate…

  • Mason - The Hoo Doo War · Historical Marker

    The Mason County War of 1875-1876, known as the Hoo Doo War, was a bloody feud between German settlers and American cattlemen over cattle rustling and vigilante justice.

  • Mason House Hotel & Stage Station · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the old Mason House Hotel and Stage Station, built back in 1869. It served travelers on the San Antonio to El Paso Road, offering them a place to rest and eat. But in 1900, a tragic fire…

  • The Texas Topaz Capital · 0.1 mi · Things to Do

    Mason County is the only place in the world where you can find the official Texas state gem -- blue topaz -- just lying on the ground. Ranchers have been…

  • The Hoo Doo War · 0.1 mi · Things to Do

    The Mason County Hoo Doo War of 1875 was one of the bloodiest feuds in Texas history pitting German settlers against Anglo cattlemen over stolen livestock.…

  • Commercial Bank · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker

    German immigrant Anna Mebus (1843-1925) came to Texas in 1858 and married her merchant cousin, Karl Martin (1828-1879). After his death she continued to operate their Mason store and post office, and by the 1880s was…

  • Fort Mason · 0.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    After the Mexican War and the annexation of Texas by the United States, the population of the state began to increase rapidly, but the increasing numbers were crowded into a limited area because Indians controlled the…

  • Mason County War · 0.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    The Mason County War, commonly known as the Hoodoo War, was one of a number of feuds that developed over the stealing and killing of cattle. As early as June 25, 1874, Wilson Hey, presiding justice of Mason County,…

  • Bush, Wanda May Harper · 0.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Wanda Harper Bush, the most decorated cowgirl in the history of the Women's Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA), was born to Alvin and Gussie (Martin) Harper on October 6, 1931, in Mason County, Texas. Wanda helped…

  • The German Frontier · 0.1 mi · Things to Do

    Mason was settled by German immigrants in the 1840s who brought their language their Lutheran churches and their absolute refusal to own slaves. They were so…

  • The Prohibition Moonshine Hills · 0.1 mi · Things to Do

    During Prohibition the limestone caves and deep ravines around Mason became one of the biggest moonshine operations in Texas. German settlers who had been…

  • Llano Uplift · 0.1 mi · Things to Do

    The Llano Uplift is a hundred-mile circle of Precambrian basement rock pushed up through the younger Hill Country limestone. The pink granite at Enchanted Rock…

Show all 107 nearby places
  • Berry, John Bate · 0.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Mason County, and right here is the area where John Bate Berry spent his final years. Berry was a man who saw a lot of Texas history unfold. He fought against the Comanches at the Battle of Plum…

  • Comanche Creek (Mason County) · 0.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Mason County, and right here, Comanche Creek flows past. This spot earned its name back in the 1850s. Comanche Indians were known to stage ambushes for the San Antonio to El Paso stage line right…

  • Hoerster, Daniel · 0.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Right here in Mason, Texas, you're driving through the heart of the Mason County War. In the 1870s, cattle rustling ran rampant. Daniel Hoerster, a cattleman and merchant who built one of Mason's first stone buildings,…

  • Latham, Johnie Louise · 0.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Mason, Texas, the hometown of Johnie Louise Latham, an actress who got her big break in a most unusual way. In 1963, she was a rising star, recommended for a role in Alfred Hitchcock's film…

  • Fort Mason and Camp Llano, C.S.A. · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Fort Mason and Camp Llano, C.S.A.. Fort Mason, located 5 blocks south, was headquarters for the first regiment Texas Mounted Rifles 1861-62. These Confederate troops occupied the line of old U. S.…

  • The Prettiest Town Square in Texas · 0.1 mi · Things to Do

    Mason's courthouse square looks like it fell out of a postcard from 1890 and nobody bothered to change it. The sandstone courthouse anchors a ring of restored…

  • The Lavender Fields of the Hill Country · 0.1 mi · Things to Do

    Mason County has quietly become a lavender-growing region with fields of purple stretching across the limestone hills every June. The rocky soil and brutal…

  • The Painted Churches Nearby · 0.1 mi · Things to Do

    The German and Czech settlers around Mason built tiny wooden churches in the 1800s then painted the interiors to look like European cathedrals. Plain clapboard…

  • Mason, TX · 0.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Mason, the county seat of Mason County, is on Comanche Creek at the junction of Interstate Highway 87/State Highway 29 and Ranch roads 1871 and 386, in the central part of the county. It grew up around Fort Mason ,…

  • Mason County · 0.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Mason County, a land shaped by the Llano River and the Hill Country's rugged beauty. This area was once a summer hunting ground for Lipan Apaches, later claimed by Comanches. Spanish land grants…

  • Mason County Jail · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Mason County Jail, a solid example of a late 19th-century county lock-up. Built in 1894, it used local brown sandstone from the nearby hills. Notice the architecture – it's a modified Romanesque…

  • Mason National Bank · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Mason National Bank. Throughout the 1890s, private banking institutions sporadically served Mason residents. In December 1903, several pioneer settlers met to form a new bank. It received its…

  • White, John Wilburn · 0.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Mason County, and right here is where John Wilburn White built his legacy. Born in Gonzales County in 1854, White started his career in a mercantile store before partnering with his uncle, George…

  • Methodism in Mason County · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Methodism in Mason County. When Mason County organized in 1858, a number of Methodists lived in this area, served by English and German speaking circuit preachers. In the town of Mason, four…

  • Grosse, Richard E. · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Mason, and it's time to talk architecture. Richard E. Grosse arrived here in 1882, all the way from Germany, where he'd trained as an architect. He started out as a stonemason, but soon opened a…

  • Old Mason Grammar School · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Old Mason Grammar School, built way back in 1887. Imagine this stone building, constructed from materials salvaged from Fort Mason – the very same post that saw Robert E. Lee's final Federal…

  • Holmes & Bierschwale Law and Land Office · 0.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Holmes & Bierschwale Law and Land Office in Mason. Attorney Henry Holmes built this sandstone building around 1883 for his office. Soon after, he partnered with Charles Bierschwale, a land…

  • Old Yeller Statue · 0.2 mi · Things to Do

    A life-size 1999 bronze of Old Yeller and the boy Travis Coates stands in front of the Mason County library honoring Mason native Fred Gipson who wrote the…

  • First Comanche-German Meeting · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker

    At this site on February 5, 1847, seven or eight Penateka Comanches headed by chief Ketumusua (also Ketumsee, Katemcy, Katemoczy) had their first encounter with an expedition of German immigrants led by John O.…

  • Hofmann Dry Goods Company · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Mason, and right here is a piece of its economic heart. Back in August 1890, brothers-in-law William Hofmann and Ernest H. Bogusch opened Hofmann and Company. It wasn't just a place to buy…

  • Broad Street Bridge · 0.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Broad Street Bridge. In 1914, citizens of Mason petitioned the county commissioners court for a reliable means of crossing Comanche Creek, which separated north and south Mason. Initial construction…

  • Lindsay House · 0.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Mason, and you might catch a glimpse of the Lindsay House. Tom Lindsay, a farmer and cattle raiser, settled here in the 1860s. Around 1899, he and his wife, Fredericka, moved into town and built…

  • First Christian Church · 0.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Mason, where the First Christian Church was organized on February 14, 1875. Land was purchased in 1876, and this sandstone structure was completed in January 1879. A classic revival porch was…

  • Spring Street Church · 0.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Spring Street Church in Mason. Constructed in 1892, it originally served a German Methodist Episcopal congregation. It later housed the Church of the Nazarene and Spring Street Gospel Church,…

  • The Mason County War · 0.5 mi

    The peaceful town square you see today was once the epicenter of a brutal local conflict called the Mason County War. From 1875 to 1877, this area descended into chaos. It began as a dispute over cattle rustling, but it…

  • Fred Gipson's Old Yeller Country · 0.5 mi

    The landscape around Mason is more than just pretty scenery; it's the heart of one of America's most beloved stories. This is the country that made Fred Gipson. He was born on a farm near Mason in February of 1908 and…

  • The Courthouse Fire and Rebirth · 0.5 mi

    If you look at Mason's magnificent courthouse, you're seeing a symbol of incredible resilience. On February 4, 2021, an arsonist set fire to the historic 1909 building, gutting it completely and leaving only the…

  • Rebuilding History with Science · 0.5 mi

    The Mason County Courthouse you see today is modern engineering wrapped in old stone. After the arson fire of February 4, 2021, all that survived of the 112-year-old building were its Fredericksburg granite walls,…

  • Seaquist Home · 0.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're cruising through Mason, and right here is the Seaquist Home, a testament to craftsmanship that started way back in 1887. Reverend Thomas Broad began this structure, but it was banker E.M. Reynolds who acquired it…

  • Taylor-Carter House · 0.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Taylor-Carter House. The first two sandstone rock rooms of the house probably were built for Thomas Lee, who owned the property from 1870 to 1875. The two-story cut sandstone portion was built in…

  • St. Joseph's Catholic Church · 0.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past St. Joseph's Catholic Church. This congregation was organized in February 1873, though Catholic worship services had been held in area homes by visiting clergy for several years. Primary members of…

  • 2018 UIL 2A Division 1 Football State Champions · 0.7 mi

    Mason High School (Mason, TX): Most recent: 44-6 over New Deal · 2018 2A Division 1 final.

  • Fort Mason · 0.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Mason, Texas, the site of Fort Mason. Established by the U.S. Army in 1851, this frontier post was named for Lieutenant George T. Mason, who died in action near Brownsville. Imagine, future Civil…

  • Old Fort Mason and Robert E. Lee · 0.7 mi · Things to Do

    Robert E. Lee commanded Fort Mason in 1861 just weeks before resigning his U.S. Army commission to join the Confederacy. He wrote agonized letters from this…

  • St. Paul Luthern Church · 0.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past St. Paul Lutheran Church in Mason. German pioneers settled this area in the 1850s, and by 1853, missionaries were holding services in their homes. The church was officially organized with 13 members…

  • Whorlie Well · 0.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Mason County, the heart of the infamous Hoodoo War. This area was torn apart by cattle rustling and violent feuds in the 1870s. The marker here is named for John Whorlie, a deputy sheriff. On May…

  • Rudolph and Therese Runge House · 0.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Rudolph and Therese Runge House in Mason. Built in the late 1800s by stonemason Thomas Broad, this home showcases vernacular Texas architecture. It was first owned by E.J. and Louise Broad, but…

  • Two Sheriffs of Mason County · 1.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Mason, Texas, a town with a history of sheriffs facing down danger. The first elected sheriff here, Thomas S. Milligan, arrived from Kentucky in 1855. He was a rancher and stage station operator,…

  • Mason County · 1.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Mason County, established in 1858. Its name comes from Fort Mason, a key military outpost. From 1851 to 1869, this fort was part of a vital chain of posts stretching from the Red River to the Rio…

  • Fort Mason · 1.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Fort Mason, a stone outpost built to protect the Texas frontier from Native American raids. This fort was also a crucial stop for a man who would become one of history's most famous…

  • Crosby Cemetery · 1.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Mason County, and just off the road lies Crosby Cemetery. This isn't just any graveyard; it's the first burial ground for the early citizens of Mason and Koocksville, dating back to the 1850s. The…

  • Koocksville · 1.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Mason County, heading past the site of what was once Koocksville. It started with pioneers in the 1850s, and the oldest grave here dates back to 1856. But the town really took shape in 1867 when a…

  • Mason County Courthouse · 1.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Mason County Courthouse, a stunning Beaux Arts building that's seen more than a century of county history. It was built in 1909, a grand structure with a dome, clock tower, and those impressive…

  • Martin, Anna Henriette Mebus · 3.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Mason County, and right here is Hedwig's Hill, a place that became a hub of commerce thanks to Anna Mebus Martin. Arriving from Germany in 1858, she and her family faced hardship and Indian…

  • The Wild Longhorn Roundup · 3.1 mi · Things to Do

    After the Civil War Mason County was overrun with feral longhorn cattle that had been breeding wild for five years. Cowboys organized massive roundups that…

  • Fly Gap, TX · 3.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Fly Gap is a half mile west of Ranch Road 1900 and twelve miles northeast of Mason in northeastern Mason County. According to legend, the community got its name from an incident involving a band of settlers who were…

  • Koockville, TX · 3.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Koockville is on Koocks Branch two miles northwest of Mason in central Mason County. Early German settlers from Fredericksburg began locating there around 1851, including Peter Birk and Henry Hick. By 1855 a group of…

  • Loyal Valley, TX · 3.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Loyal Valley is a community just east of Interstate Highway 87 near Cold Spring Creek in a valley circled by low hills in the southeastern corner of Mason County. One of the oldest communities in the county, it was…

  • Pontotoc, TX · 3.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Pontotoc is at the junction of State Highway 71 and Farm Road 501, near Pontotoc Creek in the northeastern corner of Mason County. The spot was formerly the junction of the roads leading from Llano and Fort Mason to San…

  • Camp Llano · 3.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Mason County, heading east of Fort Mason. Right here, at the junction of Rock Creek and the Llano River, was Camp Llano. Established in March of <say-as interpret-as="date"…

  • Hurley, George Freeman · 3.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Central Texas, near Katemcy, where George Freeman Hurley made his mark. He wasn't just a farmer; he was a Populist legislator in the late 1800s. In <say-as interpret-as="date"…

  • Thomas, George Henry · 3.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Right now, you're driving through Mason County, Texas, an area that was once the frontier for a legendary soldier. George Henry Thomas, later known as 'The Rock of Chickamauga,' commanded Fort Mason here in the…

  • Art, TX · 3.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Art is on State Highway 29 seven miles east of Mason in eastern Mason County. One of the first settlements in the county, it began around 1856 when five German families settled along upper Willow Creek. Later, German…

  • Hedwigs Hill, TX · 3.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Hedwigs (Hedwig's, Hedwig) Hill, a dispersed rural community just off Interstate Highway 87 five miles south of Art in southern Mason County, is thought to be one of the oldest communities in the county. It was settled…

  • Hilda, TX · 3.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Hilda was near Beaver Creek a half mile east of Ranch Road 783 in southeastern Mason County. As early as 1855 settlers began arriving in the area; they were part of the overflow from the German settlements of…

  • Katemcy, TX · 3.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Katemcy is on Katemcy Creek and Farm Road 1222 a mile east of U.S. Highway 87 in northern Mason County. According to some sources it was originally named Cootsville, after Andy Coots, an early settler. Its current name…

  • Fredonia, TX (Mason County) · 3.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through a bit of Texas history right now, near the San Saba and McCulloch county line. This area, now known as Fredonia, started as a settlement in the late 1850s. But the town itself really got its name…

  • Camp Air, TX · 3.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Camp Air, or simply Air, is at the junction of U.S. Highway 377/Interstate Highway 87 and Ranch Road 1222, two miles southwest of Katemcy in northern Mason County. The area was used for many years as pastureland by…

  • Grit, TX · 3.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Grit is on State Highway 29 near Honey Creek six miles northwest of Mason in central Mason County. The area was settled around 1889 by cotton growers. Residents wanted to name the community after Maj. Gen. Frederick…

  • Ranck, James E. · 3.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    James E. Ranck, merchant, developer, and state representative, was born in Indiana, in 1833. Ranck immigrated to Texas during the 1850s, settling in Mason County. He played a leading role in community affairs throughout…

  • Streeter, TX · 3.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Streeter is between Big and Little Bluff creeks just north of U.S. Highway 377 and nine miles west of Mason in western Mason County. Around 1855 Irish settlers, including William S. "Uncle Billy" Gamel and the Caveness…

  • Todd Mountain · 3.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Todd Mountain, named for a family whose journey to Mason in late 1864 turned tragic. As George W. Todd and his family traveled, they were attacked by Comanche raiders. A 12-year-old Black servant…

  • Dizenia Peters Todd · 3.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Mason County, not far from where Dizenia Peters Todd met her end. Born in Mississippi in 1826, she came to Texas as a child. After losing her first husband, she married George Todd and they…

  • Berry, John Bate · 4.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Mason County, heading out towards the frontier John Bate Berry helped secure. Born in 1813, Berry came to Texas from Kentucky in 1826, inspired by a family tradition of fighting America's foes. He…

  • Art Methodist Church · 6.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Art Methodist Church. It was organized way back in 1856 by the first minister to preach here, the Rev. C. A. Grote. The congregation built its first church in 1858, a second stone…

  • Hoerster, Daniel · 7.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Mason County, the heart of a brutal feud known as the Mason County War. Look to your right, and you're passing the site where Daniel Hoerster met his end in 1875. Hoerster was a cattle brands…

  • Kothmann Homesite and Cemetery · 7.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Art, and just off the road is a small, fenced cemetery. This is the Kothmann Homesite and Cemetery. Heinrich Kothmann and his wife Ilse sailed all the way from Germany in 1845, eventually settling…

  • Art School House · 7.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Art, Mason County, and you're passing a building that's seen a lot of history. Originally built as the area's second Methodist church in 1875 by local pioneers, it replaced an earlier structure…

  • UNT, TX · 8.3 mi

    UNT. Denton. It’s more than just Fry Street and the Courthouse on the Square, though those are pretty great. This place has a real legacy, and a lot of folks who made it big got their start right here in North Texas.

  • The Nineteen Thirty Seven Road From Texline to Orange · 8.9 mi

    On May eighteenth, nineteen thirty seven, a Texas highway minute order gave the name Veterans of Foreign Wars Memorial Highway to a chain of roads. The route started at the New Mexico state line at Texline and ran to…

  • State Highway 9 Bridge at the Llano River · 9.4 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    This bridge isn't just a crossing; it's a survivor, having weathered a disastrous 41.5-foot flood in 1935 that completely reshaped the Llano River. On June 14, 1935, a massive flood roared down the Llano River, cresting…

  • Peter's Prairie School · 10.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Peter's Prairie, a community named for the wild grasses that once grew here. In 1877, locals petitioned for a school, pooling nearly 150 dollars to build a picket schoolhouse for 59 students. By…

  • Wagram Cemetery · 11.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving near Fredonia, in Mason County, past the Wagram Cemetery. This burial ground started serving settlers in the Blue Stretch community, which later became Wagram when its post office opened in 1906. The…

  • First burial, Marion Eaker Miller · 11.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through the area that was once the Blue Stretch Community, later known as Wagram. The first marked burial here is little Marion Eaker Miller, who died in 1880. The community established this cemetery…

  • Wagram Cemetery · 11.6 mi · Historical Marker

    This cemetery was created to serve settlers of the Blue Stretch Community, which became known as Wagram when the post office opened in 1906. This cemetery was established alongside the community schoolhouse. The first…

  • The Eckert James River Bat Cave · 11.7 mi · Things to Do

    Every summer evening six million Mexican free-tailed bats pour out of a cave on the James River near Mason in a tornado-shaped column visible from miles away.…

  • Bethel M. E. Church · 13.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Mason County, and you're passing the site of the Bethel M.E. Church, built way back in 1862. This wasn't just any church; it was the second church of any faith established in the entire county.…

  • Herman Lehmann Captivity · 14.5 mi · Historical Marker

    On May 16, 1870, Apache raiders grabbed ten-year-old Herman Lehmann and his eight-year-old brother Willie from their German immigrant family's homestead in Mason County. Willie was released after five days. Herman was…

  • First Known Religious Services in Mason County · 15.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Mason County, and just off the road here, you're passing the spot where the very first religious services were held for the German immigrants who settled this area around 1850. Imagine folks…

  • Castell School · 16.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Castell, and right here is the site of the old Castell School. While some say education started here as early as 1852, the Llano County commissioners officially designated this place as School…

  • Castell · 16.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Castell, the only permanent settlement established by the German Emigration Company on the vast Fisher-Miller land grant. While two other settlements nearby, Leiningen and Bettina, quickly faded –…

  • Trinity United Methodist Church Cemetery · 16.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Trinity United Methodist Church Cemetery in Castell. The oldest grave here belongs to two-year-old Feodor Leifeste, dating back to 1871. The cemetery historically served the Castell, Mason, and…

  • Homesite of Emil Kriewitz · 16.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Castell, and just ahead is the homesite of Emil Kriewitz. This German immigrant arrived in Texas in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1846</say-as>, right as the Mexican War kicked off. He…

  • Chew Cemetery · 17.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Chew Cemetery, a final resting place for a Llano County family. George Oliver Chew settled here in 1883, and this land likely became a family burial ground around 1885 with the internment of his…

  • Meusebach, John O. · 17.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Mason County, nearing the land where German immigrants, led by the remarkable John O. Meusebach, made their mark. By 1848, Meusebach, who took over from Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels, guided…

  • Site of Camp San Saba · 17.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through the rolling hills near Brady, and right here, you're passing the site of Camp San Saba. From 1862 to 1864, this was home to Captain W. G. O'Brien's company of mounted volunteers. Their mission?…

  • St. John Lutheran Church · 17.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Castell. German Lutherans in this area were served by circuit-riding ministers as early as 1870. A congregation was organized in 1893, and a second church was built in 1907. The two congregations…

  • St. John Lutheran Church Cemetery · 17.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the St. John Lutheran Church Cemetery in Llano. The church bought this land in 1930 after a member, Anna Charlotte Bauer, died. Her in-laws are also buried here, along with the grave of Christian…

  • Herman and Willie Lehmann · 17.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Loyal Valley, and right around here, a story unfolded that was part of the wild Texas frontier. In 1870, two young Lehmann children, Herman, just ten years old, and his eight-year-old brother…

  • Old Spiller Cemetery · 18.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Old Spiller Cemetery, established in 1866. It's recognized as a Historic Texas Cemetery as of the year 2000.

  • Pontotoc, TX · 18.5 mi

    A devastating typhoid epidemic in 1887 had a profound impact on Pontotoc, leading to the establishment of a second cemetery to accommodate the deceased. This tragic event is a significant part of the community's history…

  • Pontotoc and San Fernando Academy · 18.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Pontotoc, a town settled around 1859 and named by its first merchant for his Mississippi hometown. Look for the site of the San Fernando Academy, which opened its doors in 1883. This school,…

  • Voca Waterwheel Mill · 18.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the Voca Waterwheel Mill, a true engine of early Texas industry. Built in 1876 by the Chadwick family, this mill was a marvel, diverting water from the river through a mile-long millrace.…

  • Lange's Mill · 19.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Gillespie County, heading past the site of Lange's Mill. Established by the Doss brothers in 1849, this mill became a regional powerhouse under William and Julius Lange, operating from 1859 to…

  • Huffman Cemetery · 19.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through the area where the Huffman Cemetery was established. James Jackson Larremore and his family settled here in 1853. His daughter Martha married James S. Huffman, and after his Civil War service,…

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