The Johnson County Historical Society Museum conducted a Cemetery Walk at the Tecumseh Cemetery on July 3 and 4. Six local citizens portrayed different individuals at five sites in the cemetery. The portrayals focused on events in the lives of those individuals and the reasons why they are remembered.
Ben Buffum, portrayed by Bob Curry Ben Buffum was the first United States rural mail carrier. Route #1 left the Tecumseh Post Office on November 7, 1896 and ran south and east over a 27 mile stretch. Buffum delivered nine pieces of mail on that first trip. In January 1897, Buffum's third month on the job, he delivered 283 letters, 29 post cards and 15 packages. He sold 626 two-cent stamps.
Buffum was born in 1861 in Knox County, Illinois. He and his parents moved to Johnson County, Nebraska and settled on a farm 4 ½ miles south of Tecumseh. In addition to farming, Buffum's father ran a mercantile store. Buffum had a passion for horses and began working in a livery stable for a living. Buffum married Mary Mannie Halsted and since the Buffums had no children of their own, they helped raise Bertha, the daughter of Charles and Fanny Buffum, after her parents died of an illness.
