Tecumseh dates from the 1850s when Thomas Stinson settled in the area and had a townsite platted by September 1, 1854. It was settled by pro-southern partisans in the turbulent days when Kansas was a territory. For a time it served as the pro-southern capital of the territory and prospered, even having a newspaper. The town's post office opened in March 1855. In 1886, the brick courthouse was sold for $500 and removed. Once the northern/southern political issues were settled at the conclusion of the Civil War, the village rapidly declined, and it survived as a mere ghost of itself for the next ninety years.