8 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Mount Lebanon Shaker Society, a National Historic Landmark, and two historic districts with 37 buildings between them. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1888 on, and the census since 1820.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, New Lebanon is more historic than 94% of U.S. towns. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of New Lebanon’s overall grade.
New York towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical New York town has 12.3 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so New Lebanon’s 207 sits above most of its state (83% of New York towns have fewer) while its 47 historic buildings outnumber those of 84% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.6 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 New Lebanon’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
New Lebanon was the main spiritual home of the Shakers. The Mount Lebanon Shaker Society had 609 members in 1864. The most historic structures now belong to the Shaker Museum | Mount Lebanon. Some of the other surviving buildings are home to the Darrow School. Still others have been converted into a Sufi retreat center called The Abode of the Message. The latter is the former residence of Vilayat Inayat Khan, and was the home of the current Pir of the Inayati Order, Zia Inayat Khan until 2017.
In addition to the Mount Lebanon Shaker Society, the Church of Our Saviour, Donnelly House, Elisha Gilbert House, Lebanon Springs Union Free School, and Gov. Samuel J. Tilden Monument are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Passages that mention New Lebanon, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Columbia County, New York. With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers1878Read the page →
Read the text
The New Lebanon Glass Works are located at the village of New Lebanon, and were established in 1873 by a company organized for this purpose, March 18, 1873. The capital stock was fixed at sixteen thousand dollars, and Joseph S. Reed, Ezra W. Drake, Thomas F. Conway, Jacob Wainwright, and Samuel M. Bassett chosen trustees. A building fifty feet square was erected for the works, containing six furnaces and pots, and employing fifty hands.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Columbia County, New York. With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers1878Read the page →
Read the text
A new meeting-house had previously been built near the present edifice, in the village of New Lebanon. It was a very plain structure, standing in tlie middle of the square, with doors on three sides, and from its uncouth appearance was irreverently called " God's barn." About fifty years ago the house was moved back to its present place, adorned with a steeple, and invested with a more churchly aspect.
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.
Timeline
New Lebanon, 1794 to 1965
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
New Lebanon is more historic than 94% 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 New Lebanon?
8 listings: 5 buildings, 2 historic districts, the Mount Lebanon Shaker Society and the Bigelow-Finch-Fowler Farm, with 37 contributing buildings, and 1 object. 47 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in New Lebanon?
27% of New Lebanon’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.6 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1972.
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 the Library of Congress (6), the National Register of Historic Places (8), 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 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.
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★ Landmark
