Mason County, Michigan

Founding: 1855 (declared in 1840)
Parent county: Unorganized territory

Namesake: Stevens Mason, Michigan governor
Seat: Ludington (1855–)

Land area: 495 square miles

Population (2020): 29,052

Population (historic): 831 (1860); 10,065 (1880); 18,885 (1900); 18,756 (1930)

Periods of population growth: 1850–1910; 1930–1980; 1990–2020

Subdivisions: Two cities; four villages; 15 townships

National Register listings: 11

Pre-1940 residences (estimated): 3,420 (19.6%)
Pre-1940 housing survival rate: 57.3%

Farm housing in disrepair (1950): 12.9%

Nonfarm housing in disrepair (1950): 4.7%
Average farmhouse value (1930): $1,404
Average outbuilding value (1930): $1,237

Average farmhouse size (1940): 6.1 rooms
Number of farms (1920): 2,011
Average farm size (1920): 53.8 acres
Sources of settlement: Germany, Sweden, Canada, New York, and Ohio

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Ludington

Namesake: James Ludington, Wisconsin businessman

Founding: 1855 (platting as Pere Marquette); 1855 (post office); 1873 (incorporation)

Population (2020): 7,655

Population (historic): 4,190 (1880); 7,166 (1900); 8,898 (1930)

Periods of population growth: 1855–1890; 1900s; 1920s; 1940s
Pre-1940 residences (estimated): 1,577 (36.6%)

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Outstanding Buildings

1. Newbury Gordon Farm (c. 1905). 7053 US Highway 31. Grant.