A good part of NH was originally owned by Captain John Mason (died 1635), an English nobleman who never set foot in New England. The land upon which Mason now exists was surveyed and laid out into townships in 1749 by John Mason's great great grandson. Mason, NH, then called "Township No. One" was born on October 16th, 1749, in Dunstable, at the house of Captain Joseph French where lots were drawn by twelve gentlemen and others who had been invited to join in the venture. The terms of the grants were that they were to erect mills, meeting houses, clear roads, and settle ministers within a specific time. The township was five miles square, a symmetrical parcel of hills, valleys, and virgin forests with one large pond.

The original Proprietors chose a location at the geographical center, for the center of town. The First Meeting House was built there and so the Second as well as the Pound, the Parade Ground, two Noon Houses, Number One School House and later the Hearse House. The first roads, north-south and east-west ran right through the Town Center. Only a few of the original Proprietors actually settled in Number One. The others gave their lots to their sons or nephews or sold them. Most had little more than his two hands and an ax with which to clear the land, build his house and clear his fields. Finally, in 1768 they incorporated into a town called Mason.

Mason hosts a tiny village green with fine old homes on the Massachusetts border. The inhabitants wanted to name it Sharon, but Governor Bennin Wentworth named it for Captain John Mason, holder of the original grant of New Hampshire from Charles I. Here is located the authentically restored home of Samuel Wilson, affectionately called "Uncle Sam" - the man who became the symbol of our country.

Small in population, large in area, Mason abounds in field, forest, and streams, with its Cascades considered one of the most beautiful natural sights to be found in the region. Panoramic views can be enjoyed from several of the high ridges. Mason's one church is the center of activity, and it continues to serve as the old-time meeting house.