In the 1820s, this area was used by the Shawnee people, who had ceded lands east of the Mississippi River to the United States government. The Shawnee Methodist Mission was moved here in 1839. This was when a school for the Shawnee people was created. During Territorial Kansas, it was the pro-slavery capital for a short time. After the American Civil War, the Shawnee were moved to the Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma). The mission is a National Historic Landmark, and is used as a museum.