New Lebanon is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an o ...

in Columbia County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, United States, southeast of Albany. In 1910, 1,378 people lived in New Lebanon. The population was 2,305 at the 2010 census. The town of New Lebanon is in the northeastern corner of Columbia County. The center of town is at the intersection of U.S. Route 20 and New York State Route 22.

History

New Lebanon was formed from the town of

Canaan Canaan (; Phoenician: 𐤊𐤍𐤏𐤍 – ; he, כְּנַעַן – , in pausa – ; grc-bib, Χανααν – ;The current scholarly edition of the Greek Old Testament spells the word without any accents, cf. Septuaginta : id est Vetus T ...

in 1818. New Lebanon was the main spiritual home of 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 ...

. 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 Darrow School is an independent, co-educational college-preparatory school for boarding and day students in grades 9-12 and PG. Its New Lebanon campus is a property just to the west of the boundary between New York and Massachusetts in the Ta ...

. Still others have been converted into a

Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...

retreat center called the

Abode of the Message The Abode of the Message was a Sufi Order International (currently the Inayati Order) community founded in 1975 by Vilayat Inayat Khan. The Abode was the central residential community of the Inayati order, a conference and retreat center, and ...

. The latter is the former residence of

Vilayat Inayat Khan Vilayat Inayat Khan (19 June 1916 17 June 2004) was a teacher of meditation and of the traditions of the East Indian Chishti Sufi order of Sufism. His teaching derived from the tradition of his father, Inayat Khan, founder of The Sufi Order ...

, and is now the home of the current Pir of the

Inayati Order The Inayati Order (Inayatiyya), is an international organization dedicated to spreading the Sufi teachings of Inayat Khan, a musician and mystic who first introduced Sufism to the modern Western world in 1910. The Inayati Order operates internati ...

, Zia Inayat Khan. In addition to the Mount Lebanon Shaker Society, the

Church of Our Saviour Church of Our Saviour (or Savior), Church of the Savio(u)r, Church of Our Merciful Savio(u)r, or variations thereof, may refer to many Christian churches dedicated to Our Saviour (Our Lord), including: Americas United States (by state) * Churc ...

, Donnelly House,

Elisha Gilbert House Elisha Gilbert House is a historic home located at New Lebanon in Columbia County, New York. Built in 1794, the home is a massive, two story frame Federal style residence with a gambrel roof and a five bay facade with a center entrance pavilio ...

Lebanon Springs Union Free School Lebanon Springs Union Free School is a historic school building located at New Lebanon in Columbia County, New York. It was built in 1913 and is a rectangular, two story, hipped roof brick building coated in stucco. It sits on a tooled concrete ...

, and

Gov. Samuel J. Tilden Monument Gov. Samuel J. Tilden Monument is a historic funeral monument located in Cemetery of the Evergreens at New Lebanon in Columbia County, New York. It was designed by architect Ernest Flagg (1856-1947) and built in 1895–1896. It contains the rema ...

are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

Notable people

* Samuel J. Tilden, New York politician and U. S. presidential candidate in 1876. (Tilden won the popular vote but was defeated by Hayes in the electoral college.) *

George Henry Williams George Henry Williams (March 26, 1823April 4, 1910) was an American judge and politician. He served as chief justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, was the 32nd Attorney General of the United States, and was elected Oregon's U.S. senator, and serve ...

, attorney and judge

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 town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.32%, is water. The northern town line is the border of

Rensselaer County Rensselaer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 161,130. Its county seat is Troy. The county is named in honor of the family of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the original Dutch owner of the ...

, and the eastern town boundary is the border of

Berkshire County Berkshire County (pronounced ) is a county on the western edge of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2020 census, the population was 129,026. Its largest city and traditional county seat is Pittsfield. The county was founded ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

. There is a warm thermal spring named Lebanon Spring, located on Spring Hill Road that had been used by the Native Americans.

Demographics

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 2000, there were 2,454 people, 983 households, and 651 families residing in the town. 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 68.4 people per square mile (26.4/km²). There were 1,201 housing units at an average density of 33.5 per square mile (12.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.52%

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 ...

, 1.26%

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 ...

, 0.08% Native American, 1.34% Asian, 0.16%

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 ...

, 0.41% from other races, and 1.22% 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 was 1.10% of the population. There were 983 households, out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% 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, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.87. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.1% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 28.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $44,805, and the median income for a family was $50,417. Males had a median income of $34,524 versus $30,590 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 town was $20,529. About 6.8% of families and 9.0% 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 15.7% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in New Lebanon

– formerly a boys' prep school, now coeducational boarding school. *Lebanon Springs – A

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

northeast of New Lebanon village on Route 22. *New Britain – A hamlet in the southwestern part of the town. *New Lebanon – The hamlet of New Lebanon in the eastern section of the town. *New Lebanon Center – A hamlet west of New Lebanon village. *

The Abode of the Message The Abode of the Message was a Sufi Order International (currently the Inayati Order) community founded in 1975 by Vilayat Inayat Khan. The Abode was the central residential community of the Inayati order, a conference and retreat center, and ...

– A residential spiritual community, conference center and school of esoteric study. * West Lebanon – A hamlet in the northwestern part of the town on Route 20.

References

External links

Town of New Lebanon official website

New Lebanon Library

"Mysteries of the Tyringham Shakers unmasked: A new examination of people, facts, and figures"

The Theater Barn (Nonprofit summer-stock theater operating in New Lebanon since 1984)
{{authority control Towns in Columbia County, New York