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AHistory
History · Lebanon

Lebanon’s post office opened in 1819, and 14% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 88% of U.S. towns · #97 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it

2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 145 buildings. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1907 on, and the census since 1860.

1819first post office
2on the National Register
14%homes built before 1940
6old photos & papers
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Lebanon’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Lebanon began

When was Lebanon founded?

1819

The Lebanon post office opened in 1819, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 1,691 in 18602020 census: 4,691207 years

How historic is Lebanon?

A

More historic than 88% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Lebanon post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade

What drives Lebanon’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lebanon is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns, #97 of 768 in Illinois. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.

A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Lebanon’s overall grade.
Founding era1819, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194013.9% of homes (±5.6) · typical IL town 10.6% · U.S. 8.4%BNational Register2 listings, 146 historic buildings, 326 per 10,000 residents · typical IL town 0.5 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 88%
NewerOlder
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 87%

Few Illinois towns list much on the Register (a typical Illinois town has 0.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Lebanon’s 326 sits above most of its state (98% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 146 historic buildings outnumber those of 91% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.6 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Lebanon’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A historic districtThe Lebanon Historic District takes in 145 historic buildings.On the map since 19076 editions of the USGS map, 1907 to 1991. Watch Lebanon change.Deep rootsA post office since 1819: 207 years of Lebanon.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

2 listings protect 146 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
146
each building in a district counts
first listed
1975
Mermaid House Hotel
Mermaid House Hotel, built 1830Lebanon Historic District
BuildingsDistricts
Mermaid House HotelBuilt 1830
All 2 listings
Lebanon Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1978

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

On the map

Lebanon on the map, 1907 to 1991

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Lebanon. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Lebanon on the 1907 USGS mapLebanon on the 1949 USGS mapLebanon on the 1954 USGS mapLebanon on the 1968 USGS mapLebanon on the 1974 USGS mapLebanon on the 1991 USGS map1907Belleville sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Lebanon.

Timeline

Lebanon, 1817 to 1977

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1817Born hereJesse Hale Moore is born here
  3. 1819Post officeThe Lebanon post office opens
  4. 1830BuiltMermaid House Hotel is built
  5. 1836Born hereCharles Phillip Johnson is born here
  6. 20th century
  7. 1907On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1917Born hereEd Busch is born here
  9. 1938In the archiveIllinois - Kankakee through
  10. 1977In the archiveDave Lar MOOG Stonehenge
The story so far

Lebanon, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Lebanon yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Lebanon is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,691 at the 2020 census It is a part of the Metro East region of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area. Lebanon is home to McKendree University, the oldest college in Illinois.

Its first post office opened in 1819. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 4,418 to 4,691 (+6%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Lebanon, 1881–1928

Passages that mention Lebanon, cut from the printed page as they were published.

Another settlement on Silver creek was made by the Bradsby family, about three miles north from the present town of Lebanon, at the edge of the Looking Glass prairie. William H. Bradsby, the oldest son, came from Kentucky with two other > oung men in the spring of 1804, and made an improvement and …
History of St. Clair County, Illinois. With illustrations ... and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers1881 · page 53Read the page →
Read the text

Another settlement on Silver creek was made by the Bradsby family, about three miles north from the present town of Lebanon, at the edge of the Looking Glass prairie. William H. Bradsby, the oldest son, came from Kentucky with two other > oung men in the spring of 1804, and made an improvement and raised a crop of corn. The family followed them from Kentucky in the fall. At

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
SCHOOLS The first school m Lebanon was taught in a log school house eighteen by twenty, in 1818. About four years later a small frame school house was erected, which was also used for religious meetings by all denominations who so desired.
Centennial, McKendree college, with St. Clair County history1928Read the page →
Read the text

SCHOOLS The first school m Lebanon was taught in a log school house eighteen by twenty, in 1818. About four years later a small frame school house was erected, which was also used for religious meetings by all denominations who so desired.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
of the first importance to a commonwealth, as well as in a political, moral, and religious view, promise to pay the several sums annexed to our names for the purpose of creating an edifice in, or near, the town of Lebanon, St. Clair County, Illinois, for a seminary of learning, to be conducted as n…
Centennial, McKendree college, with St. Clair County history1928Read the page →
Read the text

of the first importance to a commonwealth, as well as in a political, moral, and religious view, promise to pay the several sums annexed to our names for the purpose of creating an edifice in, or near, the town of Lebanon, St. Clair County, Illinois, for a seminary of learning, to be conducted as nearly as may be, on the plan of Augusta College, Kentucky, the hall of which shall be designed and used as a house of public worship, when this will not interfere with the design and

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

By decade

Lebanon, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1930s to the 1970s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1930s2 items
Illinois - Kankakee through1938Illinois - Kankakee throughIllinois - Kankakee through1938Illinois - Kankakee through
1940s–1960snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
1970s1 item
Dave Lar MOOG Stonehenge1977Dave Lar MOOG Stonehenge
1980s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Date unknown3 to date
McKendree College, Chapel, College SquareDate?McKendree College, Chapel, College SquareMermaid House, 114 East Saint Louis StreetDate?Mermaid House, 114 East Saint Louis StreetMcKendree College, Old Main Building, College SquareDate?McKendree College, Old Main Building, College Square
Today6 recent
An early-fall look at an Illinois cornfield, partially intact and partially harvested, near the town of Lebanon2019An early-fall look at an Illinois cornfield, partiall…Field-corn stalks ready for harvesting in early fall near Lebanon, Illinois2019Field-corn stalks ready for harvesting in early fall …A cluster of large agricultural silos near Lebanon, Illinois2019A cluster of large agricultural silos near Lebanon, I…Path between cornstalks in early fall near Lebanon, Illinois2019Path between cornstalks in early fall near Lebanon, I…Farm scene near Lebanon, Illinois2019Farm scene near Lebanon, IllinoisDowntown2006Downtown
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Illinois - Kankakee through
Retake this viewIllinois - Kankakee through, 1938

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Lebanon’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Lebanon, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0001900195020004,691

Grew from 1,691 people in 1860 to 4,691 in 2020.

17 censuses, 1860–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Lebanon’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Lebanon

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Charles Phillip JohnsonAmerican politician, Missouri · b. 1836
Jesse Hale MooreAmerican politician · b. 1817
Ed BuschAmerican baseball player · b. 1917
Help out

Start Lebanon’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Lebanon’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo3 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewIllinois - Kankakee through: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Lebanon’s history

What year was Lebanon founded?

The Lebanon post office opened in 1819, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Lebanon rank for history?

Lebanon is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns, #97 of 768 in Illinois. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Lebanon?

Two places: the Mermaid House Hotel (listed 1975) and the Lebanon Historic District (1978).

How old are the homes in Lebanon?

14% of Lebanon’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.6 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1985.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (4), the Library of Congress (8), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.