Mason County is located in the Central Texas Hill Country, about ninety-five miles northwest of Austin and just south of the geographic center of the state. The Llano River, which flows west to east through the center of the county, drains the majority of Mason County. Other rivers include the James River, which enters the Llano from the south, and the San Saba River, which crosses the extreme northwestern corner of the county.

For centuries the countryside surrounding the Llano River served as summer hunting grounds for a number of roving Indian peoples, primarily the Lipan Apaches. The Comanches moved down from the Panhandle during the eighteenth century and drove the Apaches south. The Spanish made some grants during the late 1700s for land along the Llano River, but no permanent settlements were established in Spanish or Mexican Texas.

In the mid-1840s the overflow of German colonists from Fredericksburg and New Braunfels, under the direction of John O. Meusebach, began to move into what became Mason County, risking the dangers of the wilderness for the opportunity to own larger tracts of land. The establishment of Fort Mason in 1851 and the resulting greater protection against Indian attacks encouraged more rapid settlement of the county by Germans, Irish, and English.

When Gillespie County was marked off in 1848, most of the future Mason County was included within its boundaries. On January 22, 1858, Mason County, named for Fort Mason, was established by an act of the state legislature. George W. Todd organized the county on August 2 of that year. The act required that a county seat be established within two miles of the fort, and on May 20, 1861, voters chose the town of Mason for this purpose. The original boundaries of the county have remained virtually unchanged over the years.

Mason County grew slowly at first due to the danger of Indian attacks (despite the presence of Fort Mason), and also because of the onset of the Civil War shortly after the county was organized. Most early settlers were farmers, and agriculture centered around providing basic necessities. In 1860 the chief crops were Indian corn and sweet potatoes. Cattle raising was the most profitable business in Mason County from an early date, and ranchers began to stock the open ranges before the Civil War.

A large proportion of the population was made up of German immigrants who were for the most part against slavery and did not wish to secede from the U.S. German sentiments against secession caused a certain amount of tension between German and American settlers. In March 1861 Fort Mason was surrendered to the Confederate authorities, but it remained virtually unmanned throughout the war, and Indian attacks were consequently particularly severe during this period. During the war many county men were away in the army, and the herds ran wild, easy prey for rustlers and Indians.

Fort Mason was reoccupied by federal troops in 1866, but by 1868 it was permanently abandoned. The danger of Indian attacks had subsided, although there were sporadic raids as late as 1872. The county was finally able to build a courthouse and jail in Mason in 1869.

Cattle roamed the open ranges and were herded together during spring round-ups to be taken to market, to Louisiana, New Mexico, Kansas, and the eastern markets. Many big drives to the north started in Mason County. By 1871 or 1872 ranchers began to fence the ranges with barbed wire. The fencing was prompted by disputes with sheepherders and trouble with rustlers. Fence-cutting wars followed this move, and wire-cutting became a prison offense. The so-called Mason County War occurred between 1875 and 1877. It began as a feud over cattle rustling but grew into a conflict between the German and American elements in the community. In 1877 a fire destroyed the courthouse and all early county records, including those pertaining to the feud.

World War I caused a renewal of the German-American friction left after the Mason County War. The county had been settled largely by German immigrants, and Germans still made up 70 to 80 percent of its foreign-born residents. Many still had contacts in Germany, and some who had immigrated as children had never become citizens and were subjected to governmental investigations. Hostile feelings toward anything German caused a decline in German language and culture in the county.

The many historical sites, such as the Fort Mason Museum and the nearby bat caves, as well as the annual county fair and rodeo and other livestock and agricultural shows draw many tourists to the county each year.

The county has a total area of 932 square miles, of which 929 square miles is land and 3 square miles (0.4%) is water. The population recorded in the 1860 Federal Census was 630. The population peaked in 1910 at 5,683. The 2010 census recorded 4,012 residents in the county.

Neighboring counties are McCulloch County (north), San Saba County (northeast), Llano County (east), Gillespie County (south), Kimble County (southwest), and Menard County (west). The county seat is Mason. Other communities in the county include Art, Behrens, Camp Air, Cold Spring, Double Knobbs, Fly Gap, Fredonia, Grit, Grossville, Katemcy, Hedwigs Hill, Hilda, Koockville, Long Mountain, Loyal Valley, Pontotoc, Streeter, and Wagram.

Birth Records - The Texas Department of State Health Services has records from 1903 to present. Records for the last 75 years considered private and will only be provided to certain individuals. To obtain current information on who may obtain a record, how to submit a request and an official request form, see the Texas Department of State Health Services website or write to Texas Vital Records, Department of State Health Services, P.O. Box 12040, Austin, TX 78711-2040.

For older birth records you will have to write to the County Clerk of the applicable county. The existence of birth records prior to 1903 will vary widely from county to county. Local historical societies and genealogy collections in local libraries may be able to provide some information.

Death Records - The Texas Department of State Health Services has records from 1903 to present. Records for the last 25 years considered private and will only be provided to certain individuals. To obtain current information on who may obtain a record, how to submit a request and an official request form, see the Texas Department of State Health Services website or write to Texas Vital Records, Department of State Health Services, P.O. Box 12040, Austin, TX 78711-2040.

Marriage Records - The Texas Department of State Health Services can provide a verification letter of marriage for Texas marriages from 1966 to present. This is NOT a marriage license. To obtain a certified copy of a marriage license you must contact the County or District Clerk in the county or district where the marriage took place.

Local historical societies and genealogy collections in local libraries may be able to provide some information.

Divorce Records - The Texas Department of State Health Services can provide a verification letter of divorce for Texas divorces from 1968 to present. This is NOT a copy of the divorce decree. To obtain a certified copy of a copy of the divorce decree you must contact the County or District Clerk in the county or district where the divorce took place.

Local historical societies and genealogy collections in local libraries may be able to provide some information.