The story
Read it all →How Mason City came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Mason City.
Mason City was established in 1857. The city took its name from Mason County.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
BHistory
History · Mason City
Mason City dates to 1857, and 45% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 55% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Below: maps from 1887 on and the census since 1860.
1857founded
0on the National Register
45%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Quick answers
How Mason City began
When was Mason City founded?
1857
Mason City dates its founding to 1857 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1860.
First census: 264 in 18602020 census: 2,077169 years
How historic is Mason City?
B
What drives the grade ↓More historic than 55% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1858.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Mason City’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Mason City is more historic than 55% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Mason City’s overall grade.
Founding era1857, from Wikidata: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194044.8% of homes (±8.1) · typical IL town 10.6% · U.S. 8.4%A+National RegisterNo listings counted · typical IL town 0.5 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 55%
NewerOlder
Few Illinois towns list much on the Register (a typical Illinois town has 0.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Mason City’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (28% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±8.1 points). Two sources give 1857.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Mason City’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Mason City’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Mason City’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.Every building
Mason City, building by building, 1887–1914
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1887Sheet 1 of 4Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Mason City in 1876
Passages that mention Mason City, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Centennial history of Mason County, including a sketch of the early history of Illinois, its physical peculiarities, soils, climate, production, etc.1876 · page 264Read the page →
Read the text
For many years this line terminated at Petersburg, but in 1867 it was extended to Bloomington. It was opened up for service to Mason City in June, and to Bloomington on the 23d of September, in that year. It was incorporated as the Tonica and Petersburg Railroad Company, January 15, 1857. Richard Yates was the first president.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Centennial history of Mason County, including a sketch of the early history of Illinois, its physical peculiarities, soils, climate, production, etc.1876 · page 218Read the page →
Read the text
106th regiment of Illinois infantry in Logan county, and was made lieutenant colonel of that regiment, but resigned after about one year's service on account of poor health. In 1868 he engaged in a mercantile and banking business in Mason City. In 1870 he took the necessary measures to organize the First National Bank of Mason City, and was elected President.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Mason City, 1857 to 1948
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 19th century
- 1857FoundingMason City is established
- 1858Post officeThe Mason City post office opens
- 20th century
- 1904
Born hereGordon Buehrig is born here - 1910
Born hereJoe Sullivan is born here - 1948
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade
Mason City, decade by decade
2023
2012On the map
Mason City on the map, 1948 to 1980
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Mason City. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1948Mason City sheet · 1:62,500U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Mason City.
People over time
Mason City, census by census
Between 264 and 2,719 people in every census since 1860.
17 censuses, 1860–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Mason City’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
See all →2 famous people were born in Mason City
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Questions about Mason City’s history
What year was Mason City founded?
In 1857, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Mason City’s post office opened in 1858, and the census of 1860 counted 264 people here.
How does Mason City rank for history?
Mason City is more historic than 55% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Mason City?
45% of Mason City’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.1 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1951.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
Start a conversation
Sources
Where this page comes from
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.