Pottawatomie County was carved out of land originally given to the Creek and Seminole after their forced removal from Georgia and Florida.

After the Civil War, the Creek and Seminole were forced to cede their lands back to the federal government, and the area of Pottawatomie County was used to resettle the Iowa, Sac and Fox, Absentee Shawnee, Potawatomi and Kickapoo tribes.

In 1930, Shawnee, now bigger in size than Tecumseh, was approved by the voters to become the new county seat.

The Pottawatomie County Court House was built in 1934 by the Public Works Administration.

[3] On May 19, 2013, during an outbreak of tornadoes, a mobile home park was nearly destroyed, killing a 79-year-old man and injuring at least six others as well as damaging at least 35 structures.

About 4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race, while 9% were of American, 17% German, 14% Irish and 10% English ancestry.

About a quarter of households consisted of a single individual and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Elementary only: The following sites in Pottawatomie County are listed on the National Register of Historic Places: