Lebanon

History

Lebanon is in the Symmes Purchase. 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, 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 because of the many juniper 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 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 and telephone service, as well as being a fiber-to-the-neighborhood Internet service provider. Controversial since it began operation in 1999, the…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  12,616
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  11,401
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  9,876
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  9,692
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  9,134
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  8,214
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  7,701
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  7,696

Largest nearby schools

• William Mason High School
  High · Mason · 3,414 students · 23.9:1 ratio
• Mason Intermediate Elementary School
  Elementary · Mason · 3,018 students · 20.4:1 ratio
• Mason Early Childhood Center Elementary School
  Elementary · Mason · 2,085 students · 21.3:1 ratio
• Springboro High School
  High · Springboro · 1,954 students · 28.7:1 ratio
• Mason Middle School
  Middle · Mason · 1,662 students · 19.6:1 ratio
• Lebanon High School
  High · Lebanon · 1,628 students · 21.7:1 ratio
• Little Miami High School
  High · Morrow · 1,445 students · 21.6:1 ratio
• Kings High School
  High · Kings Mills · 1,435 students · 26.1:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2026-02-22
  2 km NE of Hillsboro, Ohio
• M 2.51 — 2024-01-28
  3 km SW of Old Washington, Kentucky
• M 3.04 — 2021-12-12
  2 km E of Manchester, Ohio
• M 2.78 — 2017-12-17
  6 km ENE of Germantown, Kentucky
• M 2.6 — 2013-07-23
  6 km NNE of Germantown, Kentucky