The Mason County Courthouse — now restored to its former elegance and glory — was officially rededicated in a ceremony held Saturday, July 13th as part of Mason’s annual Roundup Festival.
A recurring theme echoed by all the speakers at Saturday’s ceremony was that — after the shock and heartbreak of seeing the Courthouse almost completely destroyed on the night of Feb. 4, 2021 –the Mason Community was joined by people from throughout the area and the state to work together to restore the County’s Crown Jewel to its former beauty.
As former County Judge, Jerry Bearden, noted, the people of Mason County did not just want to rebuild the courthouse, they wanted to restore it.
Saturday, the Mason Community was again joined by a range of fellow Texans to celebrate the completion of the restoration of the Mason County Courthouse to its previous glory.
Rob Hofmann, 452nd Judicial District Judge, served as Master of Ceremonies for the event, with Mason historian, Scott Zesch, providing a history of Mason Courthouses.
State Representative Andrew Murr presented the Keynote address, recounting how he and others had worked quickly to secure funding for the restoration through the Texas Legislature and the Texas Historical Commission. After the event, Rep. Murr said he was humbled to have been asked to speak at the rededication of the Courthouse. It was a multi-year struggle, he said, but no one ever doubted they would have this day.
For the official ribbon cutting, County Judge Sheree Harden asked former Judge Jerry Bearden to do the honors in recognition of his efforts and dedication to seeing the courthouse restored.
Following the ceremony, Judge Bearden said the word to describe his reaction to the day was “Jubilation.” He said he had never seen so many smiles and so many happy people. It was, he said, “fantastic.”
Judge Sheree Harden summed up the day by echoing Judge Bearden’s assessment that it was “fantastic.” She also said there “is no way to describe the energy and the blessings we all feel to come together to celebrate what the community has done.” She added “it truly was a community effort, not just in Mason, but across the State and Nation.”
The public had an opportunity Saturday afternoon to see for themselves the magnificent result of the restoration when the Courthouse was open for public tours, compete with a number of docents on hand to provide insight and historical information for the visitors. As expected, at 1pm, there was a long line of folk waiting to see the restored Mason County Courthouse for themselves.
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As part of our coverage of the Mason Roundup Festival activities, KNEL broadcast live from the Festival Parade Saturday morning on 95.3 KNEL-FM, and we had live streaming of the Parade on KNEL’s Facebook page. A replay of the Parade coverage is available through the KNEL Facebook page.
KNEL also had live coverage on Facebook of the Rededication Ceremony that is also available through the KNEL Facebook page.
PLUS, KNEL produced a 26-minute video with Judge Harden and Judge Bearden providing a Walk Through of the Mason County Court House visit KNEL Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@knelradio957
“Mason County Courthouse Walk Through”
Sponsored by The Commercial Bank –
Posted at noon Saturday on the KNEL Radio Youtube Channel, the video is a guided tour of the restored Courthouse with County Judge Sheree Harden and former Judge Jerry Bearden showing each area and providing additional information about the building and the restoration process.
