The City of Tecumseh was born overnight when the townsite was rushed by settlers in an 1891 Land Run, one of only two ever done for individual towns. The tent city that sprang up was named in honor of the Shawnee Chief Tecumseh, a famous Indian leader who fought with the British and died in the Battle of Thames in 1812.

Two Presbyterian missionaries held church services at the courthouse square on the first Sunday after the land rush, although a saloon had already been extablished as had a hardware store, a bakery and a sawmill. Schools were established in 1892 and 1896, and businessmen organized and built their railroad connecting with the Choctaw Railroad east of Shawnee.

Since Tecumseh was originally the county seat, a brick courthouse was built in 1897. But in 1930, Tecumseh lost the county seat status to Shawnee in a controversial election. The Tecumseh City Hall now stands on that historic spot.