'She's our queen': Mason turns out to see new crown placed on courthouse that burned

MASON, Texas — The first onlookers arrived before dawn.

Residents of Mason — along with a smattering of tourists — lined the long courthouse square early on April 19 in this Hill Country county seat (pop. just over 2,000).

They set up camp chairs. A few leaned against storefronts. At one point after 9 a.m., a gaggle of fourth-graders settled comfortably on the lawn of the old county jail.

Everyone assembled to see part of their heritage restored: On the south side of the square, workers were attaching heavy lines from a tall crane to lift a new crown — technically a "cupola" — to the top of the courthouse that was destroyed by fire Feb. 4, 2021.

The rest of the building is expected to be restored by August and ready for a grand opening by October.

"We're going to see our baby girl get crowned today," Mason County native Imelda Castillo says of the town's beloved courthouse. "I go by and say 'hi' every morning and say 'hi' every night. Our hearts are with her. The night it burned, we just cried and cried."

A special courthouse in Mason

This is not the first courthouse Mason County lost in a fire. The first, which stood on the northeast side of the courthouse grounds, also burned down.

"The first one burned on Jan. 21, 1877, during the Hoodoo War," says local historian Fran Hoerster, 83. The extended conflict, sometimes called the Mason County War, was really a series of feuds and lynchings related to cattle rustling that sometimes pitted German Americans against Anglo Americans. "People rushed in to grab the land records. Got most of them. But we lost brand records, marriage records, probate records. We had to start all over again," Hoerster says.

"There was a second courthouse somewhere over there (pointing toward the western side of the courthouse grounds), but we don't know exactly where, from 1879 to 1909. It was torn down. This one was finished in 1910."

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The surrounding square, by the way, is two blocks long, unusual for Texas, more like what one would find in Mexico, or in the earliest Texas towns. The open spaces make the courthouse look all the more majestic.

Designed by American architect Edward Columbus Hosford, it combines neoclassical elements, such as Doric columns, with materials that echo the Old West.

Then as now, rugged Mason County — bright green-yellow this spring day — has been ranch land. Tourism, hunting, fishing, mining, retail, restaurants and banking fill out edges of the economy. More than one establishment on the square advertises wine tastings.

Mason supports two historical museums, one on the square, another is a magnificent old rock schoolhouse; a pre-Civil War fort; a fine modern library with a permanent exhibit on "Old Yeller" author Fred Gipson, a local; and a good deal of art.

In fact, I met at least four artists on this day, some native, others who moved from places like Houston and Austin, attracted by the Hill Country's self-evident charms.

I'd visited Mason a half dozen times before and always stopped at the courthouse. Like everyone else, I was shocked to learn in February 2021 that the noble structure had been torched. A suspect, Nicholas Miller, later led law enforcement on slow-speed chase all the way to Waco before being arrested and charged with burglary and arson. According to local officials, he sits in a jail in nearby McCulloch County.

Two bits of good luck: All important documents had just been moved from the courthouse to the annex before the fire, and detailed plans for a routine restoration of the courthouse just had been completed.

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Despite these miracles, several onlookers expressed shock that the redo job was almost done after just two years.

"It's moving along real good," says County Commissioner Reggie Loeffler. "Everybody is having trouble finding skilled labor and every step needs an engineer to approve it. I don't think anyone was confident that it would be done so quickly."

Some of the money for the project came from private donors, such as Gene and Patsy Zesch, who positioned themselves near Santos — The Silerio Family Restaurant on the southeastern verge of the square. Built into a former service station, it offered some shelter from the weather under the old fuel-pump canopy.

"Gene and I have always done what we can to help the town," Patsy says. "To get things done."

"I donated some artwork for the auction," says Gene, whose sculpture of ranch life has been seen far and wide and who helped found the Mason Square Museum. "Another man gave $1 million. I'm happy to see it restored after such a tragedy."

Insurance from the Texas Association of Counties helped, and a $6 million appropriation from the Texas Legislature didn't hurt.

"It took $20 million to rebuild," says County Commissioner Buddy Schuessler. "And it originally cost $39,00 to build."

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'It's kind of like a holiday'

"First to come, last to leave: I arrived at around 7," says artist Bridget Langdale, who moved from Houston to the Hill Country 20 years ago to escape life-threatening pollution. She is making art from some of the old courthouse's remnants. "God told me the air here is good."

Other bystanders readily shared their impressions.

"I've been waiting a while," says Pat Werneke. "When I got here at 8:30 a.m., it was still pretty dead. So we had a little breakfast at the Willow Creek Café."

"We can leave our chairs here all day," says Gerald Werneke, "and they'll still be here."

"I drove around the square three times to make sure this was just the right spot," says artist Cathie Tyler, who moved here from Paris, Texas, 13 years ago. She chose the north side of the square for viewing. "It's like Christmas, the Fourth of July, Round Up Week and Rodeo all in one," she says. "This is our heart. Everything happens here."

"It's kind of like a holiday," says Sadie Smith, 8, who skipped school with permission for the big moment. "I've never been inside the courthouse. Now I will when it's finished."

"I've been inside," says her friend, Della Osburn, 9. "It's like a big office with lots of stairs and an elevator. There are only three elevators in town."

"She's our queen," Elsa Martinez says of the courthouse. "They are bringing back the four clocks (facing the cardinal directions on the cupola), but I think they are going to play different tunes. There are a lot of people here, but there were more when it burned. I'll never forget that night."

"It's a historical day," says Tracy Montoya. "A day of history."

An unexpectedly quick Mason coronation

The cupola is made with steel and aluminum, while the finials on the clock are constructed of pliant copper.

"It was important to stay as close to — but not over — 36,000 pounds as possible," says general contractor Glenn Lindquist. "The main supporting structure was designed not to exceed 36,000. The cupola with pressed metal shingles will weigh 30,466."

Only two manufacturers, Campbellsville Industries out of Kentucky and Heather & Little Ltd. out of Ontario, Canada, qualified to make the cupola.

"Heather & Little committed to our time frame so we went with them," Lindquist says. "They did a fine job on all the details. We are very pleased."

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Around 10:30 a.m., low, bumpy clouds spritzed the scene with light drizzle.

Once the metal crown, however, began to jiggle a bit on its lines, one fourth-grader yelled out: "It's levitating!"

According to Mason Elementary Principal Ryan Holbrook, the fourth-graders were allowed to witness the historic moment because they are studying Texas history at this level.

After some observers had waited more than three hours, the cream-colored cupola ascended straight up, then sailed over to its pedestal atop the courthouse, where it gently descended. A crew of workers inside and outside guided it down the last feet and inches.

Meanwhile, the crowd drew in their collective breathes. A worker could be heard yelling: "Down, down, down, down!"

Once it was secured, onlookers cheered as the workers waved and jutted their thumbs into the air.

"Oh what day!" Hoerster cries. "It's unbelievable!"

The whole maneuver lasted about 15 minutes, all captured by hundreds of phones, some more sophisticated cameras, as well as at least two drones that zipped around the square.

"We made history today," bystander Don Grote says. "And I got it all on video."

County workers, who gathered at the annex across the street, said that they were looking forward to a restored courthouse that will be more modern in terms of wiring, computers and other amenities.

"It's going to be beautiful when it's finished and open again," says Polly McMillan, who served as county treasurer for 28 years. "And a much better building."

Jerry Bearden served as Mason County Judge from 2003 to 2022.

"Today we put the cherry on the sundae," Bearden says. "It's been a long time coming. I remember standing outside the courthouse for hours during the fire. My office was the last to burn. Took me to my knees.

"But we're going to rise from the ashes."

Michael Barnes writes about the people, places, culture and history of Austin and Texas. He can be reached at mbarnes@gannett.com. Subscribe to the free weekly digital newsletter, Think, Texas, at statesman.com/newsletters, or at the newsletters page of your local USA Today Network newspaper.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Rebuilt Mason County Courthouse topped by crown two years after fire