The John Rayner House, said to be the oldest remaining house in Mason, is one of the most elaborate and best preserved Greek Revival houses in Ingham County. Pioneer John Rayner, a native of New York State, began construction of this farmhouse in 1840 on a 320-acre farm. The ponds in the park opposite the site were dug to supply ice for early Mason, and the remaining outbuilding contains a blacksmith shop and an icehouse. The twin sons of Chief Okemos played there with Rayner’s oldest son, William. The Rayner family had a major impact on early Mason, owning the slaughterhouse, ice ponds, and the Rayner Opera House. By the time of his death in 1879, John Rayner had acquired thousands of acres in Ingham and adjacent counties and was called one of the most opulent men of the county.