Most of Lebanon Junction was built recently: 10% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1973. 2 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 151 buildings between them. Below: maps from 1949 on and the census since 1880.
Founding year: the first Lebanon Junction post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1895.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Lebanon Junction’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lebanon Junction is more historic than 65% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Lebanon Junction’s overall grade.
Kentucky towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Kentucky town has 29.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Lebanon Junction’s 649 sits above most of its state (93% of Kentucky towns have fewer) while its 151 historic buildings outnumber those of 92% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.0 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1895 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
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 Junction’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lebanon Junction sprang into existence from a railroad switching point that split Louisville and Nashville Railroad (now CSX Transportation) traffic off the mainline to the Lebanon Branch that ended in Lebanon, Kentucky. This branch was completed no later than March 8, 1858, and the town grew out of a need for railroad workers to man the terminal and switching station.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Lebanon Junction. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1949Shepherdsville 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 Junction.
People over time
Lebanon Junction, census by census
Between 116 and 1,813 people in every census since 1880.
14 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Lebanon Junction’s Wikipedia page.
Questions about Lebanon Junction’s history
What year was Lebanon Junction founded?
The Lebanon Junction post office opened in 1862, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1895.
How does Lebanon Junction rank for history?
Lebanon Junction is more historic than 65% of U.S. towns. 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 Junction?
Two places: the Lebanon Junction Historic District (listed 2003) and the Camp Crescendo (2025).
How old are the homes in Lebanon Junction?
10% of Lebanon Junction’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.0 points), against a typical 5.9% for a Kentucky town; the median home was built in 1973.
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 (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
2004
