Tecumseh, Kansas
Encyclopedia
Tecumseh is an unincorporated community
situated along the Kansas River
in eastern Shawnee County
, located in northeast Kansas
, in the central
United States of America
. It is part of the Topeka
, Kansas
Metropolitan Statistical Area
. Although official populations are not compiled for unincorporated places, the population of the surrounding Tecumseh Township was 7,822 in the 2000 census
. Both the town and township are named for the famous Shawnee chief
.
. For a time it served as the prosouthern capital of the territory and prospered, even having a newspaper. The town's post office opened in March 1855.
Once the northern/southern political issues were settled at the beginning of the Civil War
, the village rapidly declined, and it survived as a mere ghost of itself for the next ninety years. In 1886 the brick courthouse was sold for $500 and removed. Construction of the Kansas Power & Light Co. power plant in 1924 and 1925 and establishment of the Du Pont cellophane plant east of town created a renaissance of sorts. As the state capital of Topeka grew in the 1950s, Tecumseh again started to grow, this time as a suburb of Topeka. The old townsite grew and numerous suburban housing subdivisions developed in the vicinity.
Today the town includes a public school (part of USD 450), a church, a post office, a large electrical generating plant and a plastics factory. It no longer boasts any shops, however.
between Tecumseh Creek to the east and Stinson Creek to the west. Contained entirely within Tecumseh Township, it is about 2 miles east of the Topeka
city limits. U.S. Route 40
passes the south side of Tecumseh. A BNSF rail line—running between Lawrence
and Topeka—passes north of the town between it and the river.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
situated along the Kansas River
Kansas River
The Kansas River is a river in northeastern Kansas in the United States. It is the southwestern-most part of the Missouri River drainage, which is in turn the northwestern-most portion of the extensive Mississippi River drainage. Its name come from the Kanza people who once inhabited the area...
in eastern Shawnee County
Shawnee County, Kansas
Shawnee County is a county located in northeast Kansas, in the central United States of America. Its most populous city, Topeka, is the state capital and county seat. The county's population was 177,934 for the 2010 census...
, located in northeast Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, in the central
Central United States
The Central United States is sometimes conceived as between the Eastern United States and Western United States as part of a three-region model, roughly coincident with the Midwestern United States plus the western and central portions of the Southern United States; the term is also sometimes used...
United States of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is part of the Topeka
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Topeka metropolitan area
The Topeka Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of five counties in northeastern Kansas, anchored by the city of Topeka...
. Although official populations are not compiled for unincorporated places, the population of the surrounding Tecumseh Township was 7,822 in the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
. Both the town and township are named for the famous Shawnee chief
Tecumseh
Tecumseh was a Native American leader of the Shawnee and a large tribal confederacy which opposed the United States during Tecumseh's War and the War of 1812...
.
History
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 prosouthern (today commonly, but incorrectly called proslavery) partisans in the turbulent days when Kansas was a territoryBleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas or the Border War, was a series of violent events, involving anti-slavery Free-Staters and pro-slavery "Border Ruffian" elements, that took place in the Kansas Territory and the western frontier towns of the U.S. state of Missouri roughly between 1854 and 1858...
. For a time it served as the prosouthern capital of the territory and prospered, even having a newspaper. The town's post office opened in March 1855.
Once the northern/southern political issues were settled at the beginning of the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the village rapidly declined, and it survived as a mere ghost of itself for the next ninety years. In 1886 the brick courthouse was sold for $500 and removed. Construction of the Kansas Power & Light Co. power plant in 1924 and 1925 and establishment of the Du Pont cellophane plant east of town created a renaissance of sorts. As the state capital of Topeka grew in the 1950s, Tecumseh again started to grow, this time as a suburb of Topeka. The old townsite grew and numerous suburban housing subdivisions developed in the vicinity.
Today the town includes a public school (part of USD 450), a church, a post office, a large electrical generating plant and a plastics factory. It no longer boasts any shops, however.
Geography
Tecumseh is located at 39°02′53"N 95°34′45"W (39.0480558, -95.5791453), in Section 36, Township 11 south, Range 16 east. It is situated south of the Kansas RiverKansas River
The Kansas River is a river in northeastern Kansas in the United States. It is the southwestern-most part of the Missouri River drainage, which is in turn the northwestern-most portion of the extensive Mississippi River drainage. Its name come from the Kanza people who once inhabited the area...
between Tecumseh Creek to the east and Stinson Creek to the west. Contained entirely within Tecumseh Township, it is about 2 miles east of the Topeka
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
city limits. U.S. Route 40
U.S. Route 40
U.S. Route 40 is an east–west United States highway. As with most routes whose numbers end in a zero, U.S. 40 once traversed the entire United States. It is one of the original 1920s U.S. Highways, and its first termini were San Francisco, California, and Atlantic City, New Jersey...
passes the south side of Tecumseh. A BNSF rail line—running between Lawrence
Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County...
and Topeka—passes north of the town between it and the river.