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History · Lebanon

Lebanon’s post office opened in 1876, and 65% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1890.

1876first post office
0on the National Register
65%homes built before 1940
3old photos & papers
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Lebanon’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Lebanon began

When was Lebanon founded?

1876

The Lebanon post office opened in 1876, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 301 in 18902020 census: 178150 years
Founding year: the first Lebanon post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

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 history waiting to be writtenOnly 3 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18933 editions of the USGS map, 1893 to 1985. Watch Lebanon change.Old housesHalf of Lebanon’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 822 in 1920; 178 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · 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.
Retake an old viewTornado: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Lebanon on the map, 1893 to 1985

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 1893 USGS mapLebanon on the 1973 USGS mapLebanon on the 1985 USGS map1893Smith Center sheet · 1:125,000

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

The story

How Lebanon came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Lebanon.

Read it all →

Lebanon was founded in 1876 at a site about 4 miles (6.4 km) distant from its present site. It was moved to the new site in about 1887–1888. Lebanon is named after Lebanon, Kentucky.

In 1918, a scientific survey established the geographic center of the 48 contiguous US states about 2.6 miles (4.2 km) northwest of Lebanon, and a monument was subsequently erected at the site. The geographic center of all 50 of the US states is located near Belle Fourche, South Dakota.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Lebanon, 1876 to 1999

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1876Post officeThe Lebanon post office opens
  3. 1893On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 20th century
  5. 1902In the archiveTornado
  6. 1913Born herePaul C. Fisher is born here
  7. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 822
  8. 1923Born hereWilliam Pennington is born here
  9. 1999In the archive48states plaque
By decade

Lebanon, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1900s to the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s2 items
Tornado1902TornadoTornado1902Tornado
1910s–1980snothing 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
1990s1 item
48states plaque199948states plaque
Today7 recent
Historic Lebanon, KS Jail2024Historic Lebanon, KS JailLebanon, KS2019Lebanon, KSMonument at the Geographical Center Of The US 48 contiguous States2017Monument at the Geographical Center Of The US 48 cont…Welcome to2013Welcome toMay 27, 2013, Lebanon, Kansas, tornado damage2013May 27, 2013, Lebanon, Kansas, tornado damageLebanonMarker12006LebanonMarker1KSMap-doton-Lebanon2005KSMap-doton-Lebanon
Every building

Lebanon, building by building, 1911

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a sheet.

Lebanon fire insurance map, 1911, sheet 11911Sheet 1 of 2
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

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.

Tornado
Retake this viewTornado, 1902

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

02004006008001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 822

Peaked at 822 in 1920; 178 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Lebanon

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

See all →
P
Paul C. FisherAmerican businessman · b. 1913
W
William PenningtonAmerican businessman · b. 1923

Questions about Lebanon’s history

What year was Lebanon founded?

The Lebanon post office opened in 1876, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (9), the Library of Congress (1), Wikipedia, 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 Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.