Lebanon’s post office opened in 1859, and 7 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 47% of U.S. towns · #53 of 142 in Oregon. What drives it
Most of Lebanon was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1980. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1884 on, and the census since 1880.
The Lebanon post office opened in 1859, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1878. Two smaller post offices, Santyam (1851) and Washington Butte (1852), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 270 in 18802020 census: 18,447167 years
How historic is Lebanon?
B−
More historic than 47% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Lebanon post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1878.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Lebanon’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lebanon is more historic than 47% of U.S. towns, #53 of 142 in Oregon. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Lebanon’s overall grade.
Oregon towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Oregon town has 2.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Lebanon’s 3.6 sits near the middle of its state (52% of Oregon towns have fewer) while its 7 listings outnumber those of 73% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B. The pre-1940 share (±2.4 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1878 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’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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 year, then a sheet.
1884Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Lebanon’s post office has been open since 1859. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Santyam
1851–1852
Washington Butte
1852–1859
Lebanon
1859–today
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Evansville
Gone or out of use
CalahanlocaleLebanon OE ConnectionlocaleLebanon OE SidinglocaleQueen Anne Elementary SchoolschoolSaint Edwards SchoolschoolSantiam SchoolschoolSeventh Day Adventist Schoolschool
1cemetery inside Lebanon
Pioneer
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
In 1845, William Hawk and Thomas Morgan built a cabin on the site of present-day Lebanon. Then in 1847, Jeremiah and Jemima Ralston bought out Hawk and Morgan's cabin and the surrounding land, and built a log house on a low rise at what is now Ralston Park. Nearby, on today's Main Street, they built a store. It soon became a stop for gold seekers on their way to California. In the following years, a village grew around the store as several other settlers moved in, taking advantage of the Donation Land Claim Act to claim land for free. They gained a post office in 1851. In 1855, the Ralstons filed a plat for the town, naming it for Jeremiah's birthplace of Lebanon, Tennessee. They also donated land for the Santiam Academy, which the Methodist Episcopal Church operated until 1906.
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.
The Lebanon post office opened in 1859, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1878.
How does Lebanon rank for history?
Lebanon is more historic than 47% of U.S. towns, #53 of 142 in Oregon. 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?
7 listings: 6 buildings, among them the Dr. J. C. Booth House (listed 1980, the first), and 1 site.
How old are the homes in Lebanon?
9% of Lebanon’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.4 points), against a typical 5.3% for an Oregon town; the median home was built in 1980.
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 (9), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (7), 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.
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