Mason City, Iowa

Is Mason City, Iowa named after the Freemasons?  Yes... and no... Brother John Long originally named Iowa prairie land along the Winnebago River Masonic Grove in honor of the Freemasons.  Later, Long, Joseph Hewitt and George Brentner renamed it Shibboleth, a name also familiar to Freemasons.  Then, when bringing his family to the area from Illinois, Long's son, Mason, died.  Upon returning to the town, he renamed it Masonville, in honor of his son.  In 1853, however, upon erecting the post office there, the city fathers discovered there were two towns in Iowa with that name, so they renamed it Mason City, the name it carries today.  After incorporation in 1870, Darius Mason became the first mayor.  In the early 1950s, the real Mason City became the fictional River City when Meredith Willson's "Music Man" had its debut.  Today Mason City, Willson's home town, hosts the annual Mason City Band Festival in tribute its rich cultural history.