Museums
The history of a community helps shape its future, and gives it a strong foundation upon which to grow. Mason's history is rich, colorful, and sometimes, it's downright intriguing. You really need to better understand where Mason has been in order to fully comprehend where we're going, and the Mason County Historical Museum is a great way to start.
If you look just southwest of the town square, sitting across the creek on a slight hill, you'll see a beautiful old two-story rock building. Around here, being practical about naming things, we call it the Old Historical Building. This architectural delight is home to the Mason County Historical Museum, and to various government offices. Park on the tree-lined east side (overlooking the city pool and the library) and come spend some time looking back at the past.
There are geological artifacts as well as human, and you can spend a great deal of time just admiring the minutiae which has been collected. Don't miss the mastodon tusk (as if you could), and look closely at the detail work on some of the old brass buttons found around the site of the fort. Have fun, and treat yourself to a stroll around the grounds when you're done with your visit.
Just to the north of the building, you'll see an old baseball field with stone bleachers. This is Mason's newest addition to our public spaces, Heritage Park. It hosted its inaugural concert event with a benefit for Habitat For Humanity and the Odeon Theater. Since then, there's been no slowing down.
Back down on the town square, Mason's newest museum addition is aptly named, the Mason Square Museum. It is a more compact version of the Mason County Historical Museum, but with its own unique exhibits (including the largest blue topaz found in the United States).
Both museums are open Thursday-Saturday, 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Find out more about the history of Mason by visiting the Mason County Historical Commission.
Photo Credit: Kyle Martin
