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–Not graded
History · Mason

Half of Mason’s homes were built after 1979

Most of Mason was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979. Below: maps from 1971 on and the census since 1930.

0on the National Register
4%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Billertl · CC BY-SA 4.0

What stands out about Mason’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Mason are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages3 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Mason, and 1 old place names are still on the map.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Mason’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Mason’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and old corners

Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Benoitville
1887–1890
Peck
1890–1895
Benoit
1895–1984
18801950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Benoit

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

The story

How Mason came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Mason.

Read it all →

In the early 1880s, a railroad line, operated by the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway was built to serve northern Wisconsin, crossing the White River at what would become the Village of Mason. After the railroad was established, John Alexander Humbird opened the White River Lumber Company on the banks of the White River. The mill served as the catalyst for the settling of the area. A post office called Mason has been in operation since 1883. The mill closed in 1914 when the area no longer contained enough trees to continue supporting the mill and the population of the town decreased significantly as a result. In 1925, the Village of Mason was incorporated, separate from the Township of Mason. The village's name honors Freemasonry.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Mason, 1887 to 1984

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1887Post officeThe Benoitville post office opens
  3. 1890Post officeThe Benoitville post office closes
  4. 1890Post officeThe Peck post office opens
  5. 1894Born hereThorvald A. Solberg is born here
  6. 1895Post officeThe Peck post office closes
  7. 1895Post officeThe Benoit post office opens
  8. 20th century
  9. 1971On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  10. 1984Post officeThe Benoit post office closes
By decade

Mason, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Mason Wisconsin Depot2016Mason Wisconsin DepotWIMap-doton-Mason2004WIMap-doton-Mason
On the map

Mason on the map, 1971 to 1980

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Mason. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Mason on the 1971 USGS mapMason on the 1980 USGS map1971Mason sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Mason.

People over time

Mason, census by census

010019401960198020002020Peak: 153

Between 72 and 153 people in every census since 1930.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Mason’s Wikipedia page.

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

KeystoneIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townGrand ViewIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townKellyIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townDeltaIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townDrummondIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Mason’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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). How TownRatings grades history →

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) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.