Station: Mason, MI (Ingham County)

Mason was settled about 1836 as Mason Center nine miles south of downtown Lansing on the Michigan Central's Saginaw Branch. A sawmill was located here. It became the county seat of Ingham County in 1840. Mason became a village in 1865 and a city in 1875. [MPN]

Photo info: Top, A 1908 photo of the Michigan Central Mason depot with No. 8203 a 4-6-0 Schenectady-built Class F-81a pulling a freight train through town. Note the crossing watchman in the foreground of the photo. The 8203 was built in November, 1889 and scrapped by the MC in April, 1922. [Mark Worrall collection]. 2nd photo, the NYC depot at Mason in 1983. [Charlie Whipp]. 3rd photo, an older photograph. [Alan Loftis collection]. 4th photo, the former depot in 2003, now used as a restaurant. [Alan Loftis]. 5th photo, a postcard view of the Mason Interurban Depot, date not known.

Notes

Time Line

1866. The editor of the Ann Arbor Courier visits Lansing and tells the story. At 2:00 pm were moving over this new road at a fair speed, arriving at Mason, its present temporary terminal. The country, for the most part, through which this road passes is of a very pleasant character and is largely improved with fine farms, while the unimproved is attracting attention who are seeking new farm lands.

From Mason, we were sent forward in one of D.B. Hibbard's large, first class passenger stage coaches, then which there are no better, or more attention paid to the comfort and pleasure of passengers for the 13 miles to the capital. [LSJ-1866-0117]

1866. A.L. Todd, Assistant Superintendent of the J&LS was quietly sitting in the bar room of one of the hotels here, engaged in reading, when, without any cause or provocation, he was assailed by three ruffians from Canada, whose brains were muddled by whisky. He was knocked down and badly bruised in the face and otherwise, so that he was unable to appear in court at their trial. They were immediately arrested, tried and fined $28 each. The feeling of the citizens was so intense, that if it had not been for the protection of officers, they would have been badly handled when they were released from the custody of the law. Mr. Todd is improving. [LSJ-1866-0404]

1902. A new passenger station is built here by the MC, at a cost of $7,650. [MCR-1902]

1917. The MC had an operator-agent here around-the-clock. [TRT]

Industry

• Lansing Ice and Fuel. Leased property on Ash Street in 1938. Established coal yards and ice business near Mason's new post office. [LSJ-1938-1120]