Mason County is named for C H Mason, who was the first Secretary of the Washington Territory.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Jefferson County and Kitsap County
E – Pierce County
S – Thurston County and Grays Harbor County
W – Grays Harbor County and Jefferson County
Created: March 13, 1854
County Seat:
Oakland ( Mt. Olive ) 1854 – 1888
Shelton 1888 – present
County Courthouse – Shelton
Location: 411 North 4th Street / West Pine Street
Built: 1929 – 1930
Style: Colonial Revival
Architect: Joseph Henry Wohleb of Olympia
Contractor: E P Brewster of Chehalis.
Description: The building faces east and is a two story dark gray stone and concrete structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds n the center of Shelton. The exterior is clad in Tenino sandstone veneer. The building has a small protruding entrance with iron balcony above. On the second story are arched windows in the center section. The roof line is flat. In the interior there is a central lobby on the first story with stairs on the west side which ascend to the second story. The walls and ceilings are painted plaster. The floors are terrazzo. The County Superior Court courtroom is located along the east side of the second story and has a raised ceiling with beams in relief and recessed alcove. The third story has no windows and is storage space. The basement contains space for a second courtroom along the east side. The building houses the County Superior Court. In 1983 a one story jail was constructed on the south side. Changes were made by Foster and Williams Architects in 2013. To the south is the County District Court at 414 West Franklin Street.
See: The architect Joseph Henry Wohleb also designed the old courthouse in Thurston County.
County Courthouse Annex – Shelton
Location: 411 North 5th Street / West Pine Street
Built: 1984 – 1986
Style: Colonial Revival
Architect: Unknown
Contractor: Unknown
Description: The building faces east and is a two story glass and concrete structure. The rectangular shaped building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Shelton on the west side of the courthouse. The east front has five vertical pillars rising to the overhanging roof line with recessed entrance and large windows. The roof line is flat.
History: The county was created in 1854 and Oakland ( Mt. Olive ) was selected as the county seat. The county seat was moved to Shelton in 1888 and the first courthouse, a two story frame structure was built on land donated by David Shelton by contractors Charles Dunbar and Elijah Dunbar in 1888 to 1889. An addition was built in 1904. The second and present courthouse was constructed in 1929 to 1930 at a cost of #150,000.
County Courthouse – Shelton
County Superior Court courtroom
County Courthouse Annex – Shelton
Photos taken 2006 and 2016
Images 16*