Lebanon is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

of Warren County,

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

, United States. The population was 20,841 at the 2020 census. It is part of the

Cincinnati metropolitan area The Cincinnati metropolitan area and also known as the Cincinnati Tri-State area, or Greater Cincinnati) is a metropolitan area centered on Cincinnati and including surrounding counties in the U.S. states of Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. The area i ...

History

Lebanon is in the

Symmes Purchase The Symmes Purchase, also known as the Miami Purchase, was an area of land totaling roughly in what is now Hamilton, Butler, and Warren counties of southwestern Ohio, purchased by Judge John Cleves Symmes of New Jersey in 1788 from the Conti ...

. The first European settler in what is now Lebanon was Ichabod Corwin, uncle of Ohio Governor Thomas Corwin, who came to Ohio from Bourbon County,

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

, and settled on the north branch of Turtle Creek in March 1796. The site of his cabin is now on the grounds of Berry Intermediate School on North Broadway and is marked with a monument erected by the Warren County Historical Society. The town was laid out in September 1802 on land owned by Ichabod Corwin, Silas Hurin, Ephraim Hathaway, and Samuel Manning in Sections 35 and 35 of Town 5, Range 3 North and Sections 5 and 6 of Town 4, Range 3 North of the Between the Miami Rivers Survey. Lebanon was named after the Biblical

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lie ...

because of the many

juniper Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' () of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arc ...

or Eastern Red cedar trees there, similar to the Lebanon Cedar. It is known today as "The Cedar City". City legend has it that Lebanon didn't grow as large as Cincinnati or Dayton because of the 'Shaker Curse'. During their migration, the

Shakers The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, more commonly known as the Shakers, are a millenarian restorationist Christian sect founded in England and then organized in the United States in the 1780s. They were initially ...

decided an area outside of town was a suitable place for them to create a homeland for themselves. There was a disagreement with some of the locals and it was said the Shakers placed a curse on the city to hinder the city's prosperity. In reality, the Shakers thrived in the area, and built a settlement about west of Lebanon called Union Village. A local man, Malchalm Worley was their first convert. Since the Shakers did not engage in procreation, they relied on converts to increase their numbers. By 1900, there were almost no Shakers left in Ohio. The city is one of the few in the nation to once operate a government-run

cable television Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with bro ...

and

telephone A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into e ...

service, as well as being a fiber-to-the-neighborhood

Internet service provider An Internet service provider (ISP) is an organization that provides services for accessing, using, or participating in the Internet. ISPs can be organized in various forms, such as commercial, community-owned, non-profit, or otherwise priva ...

. Controversial since it began operation in 1999, the Lebanon telecommunications system had struggled to recover its expenses and had accumulated over $8 million in debt. However, residents in the area at the time paid up to 50% less for the aforementioned services than neighboring communities, therefore saving over $40 million of the residents' money. In the 2006 general election, however, voters approved the sale of this city-run telecommunications system to

Cincinnati Bell Cincinnati Bell, doing business as Altafiber (typeset as altafiber), is a regional telecommunications service provider based in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It provides landline telephone, fiber-optic Internet, and IPTV services through ...

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2010, there were 20,033 people, 7,436 households, and 5,213 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was . There were 7,920 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.7%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 2.6%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 1.6% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 3.5% of the population. There were 7,436 households, of which 41.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 29.9% were non-families. 24.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.12. The median age in the city was 34.7 years. 29.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 29.5% were from 25 to 44; 23.9% were from 45 to 64; and 10.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.0% male and 51.0% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 16,962 people living in the city. The

was 1,440.6 people per square mile (556.4/km²). There were 6,218 housing units at an average density of 528.1 per square mile (204.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.98%

, 6.36%

, 0.32% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.37% from other races, and 1.31% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.13% of the population. There were 5,887 households, out of which 40.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% were

living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.5% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.08. In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.2% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 36.8% from 25 to 44, 16.8% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 110.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 114.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $46,856, and the median income for a family was $52,578. Males had a median income of $40,361 versus $27,551 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $20,897. About 4.7% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 6.6% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those aged 65 or over.

Economy

Prisons operated by the

Ohio Department of Corrections Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The s ...

in the area include

Lebanon Correctional Institution The Lebanon Correctional Institution is a prison in the United States operated by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction in Warren County's Turtlecreek Township, about four miles west of Lebanon and two miles east of Monroe and ab ...

and

Warren Correctional Institution The Warren Correctional Institution is a prison operated by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction in Warren County's Turtlecreek Township in Lebanon, Ohio Lebanon is a city in and the county seat of Warren County, Ohio, Un ...

Arts and culture

Events

* Lebanon Blues Festival * Lebanon Country Music Festival * Warren County Fair * Country Applefest * Horse Drawn Carriage Parade and Christmas Festival * Third Friday block party on Mulberry Street

Landmarks and attractions

The Golden Lamb Inn

The

Golden Lamb Inn The Golden Lamb Inn is the oldest hotel in Ohio, having been established in the Warren County seat of Lebanon in 1803. The present four-story structure is built around the 1815 rebuilding of the inn, maintaining its colonial architecture. It ...

is located in Lebanon on the corner of S. Broadway and Main St. It is recognized as Ohio's oldest inn, having been established in 1803, and has been visited by 12 presidents.

Warren County Historical Society and Harmon Museum of Art and History

The Warren County Historical Museum is recognized as one of the nation's most outstanding county museums. It includes the Harmon Museum, housed in Harmon Hall, a three-story, building with displays and exhibits of art and artifacts from prehistoric eras to the mid-20th century.

Glendower Historic Mansion

The Glendower Historic Mansion, owned by the Warren County Historical Society, was erected circa 1845. It provides a classic example of residential Greek Revival architecture and a natural setting for many elegant Empire and Victorian furnishings from Warren County's past.

Lebanon Mason Monroe Railroad

Lebanon is home to the

Lebanon Mason Monroe Railroad The Lebanon Mason & Monroe Railroad (LM&M Railroad) is a heritage railroad in Ohio. It offers passenger rides out of its depot in Lebanon, Ohio. Route history The train operates on approximately of track between Lebanon, Mason and Monroe – all ...

, where passengers follow an old stage coach route passing meadow, pasture, a rippling creek and wildflowers along the way.

Countryside YMCA

The largest YMCA in the U.S. consists of: four basketball gyms, two weight rooms, five indoor pools, one outdoor pool, tennis courts, baseball fields, racquetball courts, preschool and daycare, gymnastics center, outdoor soccer fields, five aerobics rooms, senior citizen center, two waterparks (one inside, one outside), sports medicine center, rock climbing wall, two indoor tracks, outdoor track, acres of forest and trails, pond, outdoor playground, locker rooms, outdoor volleyball, and flag football fields.

Harmon Golf Club

Harmon Golf Club is a nine-hole, par 36 public golf course located on South East Street. It was built in 1912.

Education

Lebanon City Schools operates the following public schools: * Bowman Primary School (K-2) * Donovan Elementary School (3-4) * Berry Intermediate School (5-6) * Lebanon Junior High School (7-8) * Lebanon High School (9-12) The city is served by a lending library, the Lebanon Public Library.

Media

Print

* ''Today's Pulse'' (based in Liberty Township, Butler County)

Television

* Channel 6 - The Lebanon Channel City Cable * Broadcast television from Cincinnati and Dayton markets

Infrastructure

Highways

Interstate 71 Interstate 71 (I-71) is a north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes/Midwestern and Southeastern region of the United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 64 in Kentucky, I-64 and ...

* U.S. Route 42 *

Ohio State Route 48 State Route 48 (SR 48) is a north–south highway in Ohio that runs from SR 132 near Goshen to SR 66 near Houston, passing through Dayton. Commemorative designations On February 15, 2005, Governor Bob Taft signed Senate B ...

Ohio State Route 63 State Route 63 (SR 63) is a long east–west state highway located in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. The western terminus of SR 63 is at a trumpet interchange with SR 4 on the western outskirts of ...

Ohio State Route 123 State Route 123 (SR 123) is a state highway in southwestern Ohio. The route runs from SR 251 about southeast of Blanchester to Germantown at SR 4, a distance of . The section of road from Franklin to Lebanon was originally a toll road until ...

Ohio State Route 741 State Route 741 (SR 741) is a north–south state highway in the southwest portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. The southern terminus of the route is at a diamond interchange with I-71 at its Exit 25 near Kings Mills, adjacent to the Kings ...

Notable people

Neil Armstrong Neil Alden Armstrong (August 5, 1930 – August 25, 2012) was an American astronaut and aeronautical engineer who became the first person to walk on the Moon in 1969. He was also a naval aviator, test pilot, and university professor. ...

, first man to walk on the moon; made his home in Lebanon for 23 years after the moon landing * Cyrus Ball, judge * Amos Booth, baseball player for

Cincinnati Red Stockings The Cincinnati Red Stockings of were baseball's first all-professional team, with ten salaried players. The Cincinnati Base Ball Club formed in 1866 and fielded competitive teams in the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) 1867� ...

1876-77 * John Chivington, officer in American Civil War and Sand Creek Massacre *

Clay Clement Clay Clement (May 19, 1888 – October 20, 1956) was an American stage, film, and TV actor. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1918 and 1947. Clement was one of the earliest members of the Screen Actors Guild.Thomas Corwin,

Governor of Ohio A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

from 1840 to 1842;

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and power ...

from 1845 to 1850 * Charles Cretors, invented the first popcorn machine in 1885 * Greg Demos, bass player for Guided by Voices * Abby Franquemont b.1972, writer, revivalist of the art of

hand spinning Spinning is an ancient textile art in which plant, animal or synthetic fibres are drawn out and twisted together to form yarn. For thousands of years, fibre was spun by hand using simple tools, the spindle and distaff. It was only with the in ...

with a spindle, * George E. Gard, police chief of

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

in 19th Century *

Scooter Gennett Ryan Joseph "Scooter" Gennett (born May 1, 1990) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He previously played for the Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants. On June 6, 2017, he became the 17th player i ...

, MLB player for the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

Woody Harrelson Woodrow Tracy Harrelson (born July 23, 1961) is an American actor and playwright. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards, in addition to nominations for three Academy Award ...

, (moved from Texas at age 12), film and TV actor,

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

winner and three-time

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nominee * Bruce Edwards Ivins, government scientist who committed suicide while under investigation for 2001

anthrax Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Bacillus anthracis''. It can occur in four forms: skin, lungs, intestinal, and injection. Symptom onset occurs between one day and more than two months after the infection is contracted. The s ...

attacks *

Jill Jones Jill Jones (born July 11, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress, who performed as a backing vocalist for Teena Marie and Prince in the 1980s. Overview Jones was born in Lebanon, Ohio on July 11, 1962. Her mother, a fashion model ...

, singer, songwriter, and actress * Maldwyn Jones, motorcycle racer, American Motorcyclist Association Hall of Fame Inductee in 1998 *

Michael Larson Paul Michael Larson (May 10, 1949 – February 16, 1999) was an American television game show contestant from Ohio who appeared on the CBS program '' Press Your Luck'' in 1984. Larson is notable for winning US$110,237 () in cash and prizes, at t ...

, famous game show contestant on '' Press Your Luck'' in 1984 * Andrew McBurney,

Lieutenant Governor of Ohio The position of lieutenant governor of Ohio was established in 1852. The lieutenant governor becomes governor if the governor resigns, dies in office or is removed by impeachment. Before 1852, the president of the Ohio State Senate would serve as ...

, 1866–1868 *

John McLean John McLean (March 11, 1785 – April 4, 1861) was an American jurist and politician who served in the United States Congress, as U.S. Postmaster General, and as a justice of the Ohio and U.S. Supreme Courts. He was often discussed for t ...

Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court An associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States is any member of the Supreme Court of the United States other than the chief justice of the United States. The number of associate justices is eight, as set by the Judiciary Act of 1 ...

from 1829 to 1861 * Ormsby M. Mitchel, West Point grad, astronomer, surveyor, general from 1812 to 1825 *

Marcus Mote Marcus Mote (1817 — February 26, 1898) was a Quaker artist who worked in Ohio and Indiana. Biography Mote was born in West Milton, Ohio in 1817. In 1844 he moved to Lebanon, Ohio where he established a studio. He worked there as an itinera ...

, early Ohio artist * Corwin M. Nixon, state representative 1962–1992, minority leader 1979-1992 * F. E. Riddle, lawyer and

Oklahoma Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Oklahoma is a court of appeal for non-criminal cases, one of the two highest judicial bodies in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, and leads the judiciary of Oklahoma, the judicial branch of the government of Oklahoma.

justiceDouglas, Clarence B. ''The History of Tulsa, Oklahoma''. Volume III. S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. Chicago-Tulsa (1921) p.490-1
Accessed May 20, 2020. *

Gordon Ray Roberts Gordon Ray Roberts (born 14 June 1950) is a retired United States Army officer and a Medal of Honor recipient for his "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty" on 11 July 1969 whi ...

, U.S. Army

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of val ...

recipient *

Marty Roe Diamond Rio is an American country music band. The band was founded in 1982 as an attraction for the Opryland USA theme park in Nashville, Tennessee, and was originally known as the Grizzly River Boys, then the Tennessee River Boys. It was fo ...

, lead singer of the band

Diamond Rio Diamond Rio is an American country music band. The band was founded in 1982 as an attraction for the Opryland USA theme park in Nashville, Tennessee, and was originally known as the Grizzly River Boys, then the Tennessee River Boys. It was f ...

* Dean Roll, pro wrestler known as Shark Boy or Dean Baldwin *

Casey Shaw Joseph Casey Shaw (born July 20, 1975) is an American former basketball player who is the head coach of the boys varsity basketball team at Davidson Academy. Prior to his appointment at Davidson, he was an assistant coach for the Vanderbilt Commo ...

, NBA player with the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Ea ...

Larry Sparks Larry Sparks (born September 25, 1947) is an American Bluegrass singer and guitarist. He was the winner of the 2004 and 2005 International Bluegrass Music Association Male Vocalist of the Year Award. 2005, won IBMA for Album of the Year and Rec ...

, bluegrass singer and guitarist *

Russel Wright Russel Wright (April 3, 1904 – December 21, 1976) was an American industrial designer. His best-selling ceramic dinnerware was credited with encouraging the general public to enjoy creative modern design at table with his many other ranges of fu ...

, industrial designer and artist; responsible for wide acceptance of Modernism in America

In popular culture

The 1978 movie '' Harper Valley PTA'' with

Barbara Eden Barbara Eden (born Barbara Jean Morehead; August 23, 1931) is an American actress, singer, and producer best known for her starring role as Jeannie in the sitcom '' I Dream of Jeannie'' (1965-1970). Other notable roles include Roslyn Pierce opp ...

and the 1994 movie '' Milk Money'' with

Ed Harris Edward Allen Harris (born November 28, 1950) is an American actor and filmmaker. His performances in ''Apollo 13'' (1995), '' The Truman Show'' (1998), '' Pollock'' (2000), and '' The Hours'' (2002) earned him critical acclaim and Academy Award ...

and

Melanie Griffith Melanie Richards Griffith (born August 9, 1957) is an American actress. She began her career in the 1970s, appearing in several independent thriller films before achieving mainstream success in the mid-1980s. Born in Manhattan, New York City, ...

were both shot in Lebanon. In October 2013, a

Hallmark Channel The Hallmark Channel is an American television channel owned by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., which in turn is owned by Hallmark Cards, Inc. The channel's programming is primarily targeted at families, and features a mix of television movies a ...

movie titled ''The Christmas Spirit'' was filmed in Lebanon. In 2014, the movie '' Carol'', starring

Cate Blanchett Catherine Elise Blanchett (; born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actor. Regarded as one of the finest performers of her generation, she is known for her versatile work across independent films, blockbusters, and the stage. She has received n ...

, was partially filmed in Lebanon.

References

External links

Official site

Lebanon Area Chamber of Commerce

From the Rare Book and Special Collection Division at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...

* {{Authority control Cities in Warren County, Ohio County seats in Ohio Populated places established in 1802 Cities in Ohio