Tecumseh Opera House

A two-story brick building constructed in 1880 by W. R. Spicknell and W. H. Hasset, the Tecumseh Opera House, located on the west side of the courthouse square, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The facade of the building, with an ascending parapet, dominates its two-story neighbors. Retail businesses have occupied the lower level which is open to the public during business hours. The opera house level is not accessible to visitors. The Opera House is located at 123 South 3rd St.

Johnson County Jail

The historic Johnson County Jail was constructed in 1872 of native limestone. The huge blocks for the jail proper were secured from a quarry on Yankee Creek, 4 1/2 miles west of Tecumseh. The stone was transported from the quarry by wagons then were all hand hewn at the construction site.

A unique feature in constructing the walls was that a pocket was hewn in the center of each block and a cannon ball fitted between the stones to prevent the loosening or pushing out of the stone, even if the mortar should be removed.

The stone for the top story was secured from a quarry one mile east and south of town. The ceiling of the jail proper was made of solid steel plate, thus making the cell block fireproof. The windows were set with durable steel bars. The top floor of the building served as the sheriff's residence.

The steel cage, or bullpen, was added to the front of the building years after the original construction. Originally, a safety device was built into it, consisting of a round steel cage in the doorway, which rotated on a pivot. It was operated by a lever on the outside, allowing the sheriff to admit or remove a prisoner without subjecting himself to the danger of being overpowered by other prisoners.

For a century, the old jail hosted hundreds of law breakers of all degrees, from felony to simple misdemeanors. Over the years, the jail also hosted many harmless hoboes and tramps as well. They would request the sheriff lock them up for the night and then would be on their way the next morning.

The jail is open by appointment and is located on Fourth Street between Broadway and Jackson.

Carnegie Building

The first public libraries for Tecumseh were not pretentious. They were kept in private homes, at the city hall and elsewhere, with such books and magazines as could be secured through contributions and otherwise. The women of the city carried on the work of librarians. On June 6, 1907, a library meeting was held and the first commission under city supervision was named and a board and building committee were formed.

After applying for and receiving donations from the Carnegie Foundation, $1,000 was secured in contributions from the local citizens in order to construct the Carnegie Building to house the new library. The building was dedicated March 11, 1908.

City Hall

Tecumseh's city hall was erected in 1890, at the cost of just over $4,000, and is another of the fanciful architectural treasures of the historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building also housed the fire department which later was moved to its own building.

Courthouse

The present courthouse dates from the 1880s period of prosperity and replaced two earlier courthouses built on the square in the fall of 1857 and in 1868.

In March 1888 Johnson County voters passed a bond issue to finance the new courthouse. Construction began the same year and the Romanesque Revival-style building was completed in 1889. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it is an imposing three-story structure designed by Nebraska architect William Gray in the County Capitol style of architecture. Made of cherry red St. Joseph brick and Nemaha County limestone, it has a remarkable two-tiered dome that rises a total of 110 feet from the center of the building.

Interestingly, the contractor was not satisfied with the cement used for making the concrete so he had cement shipped from Germany.

The dome is composed of layers of radiating voussoirs, round-arched windows, Corinthian capitals, elaborate bull's-eye windows, a lantern and weathervane. Fine organic carvings form the capitals of the entry columns. Pressed brick squares using a floral pattern provide further textural interest.