Lebanon, Missouri
Encyclopedia
Lebanon is a city in Laclede County
, Missouri
, United States
. The estimated population in July 2009 was 14,292. The population was 12,155 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat
of Laclede County
. The Lebanon Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Laclede County.
, the city has a total area of 13.7 square miles (35.5 km²), of which, 13.6 square miles (35.2 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (0.22%) is water.
of 2000, there were 12,155 people, 5,132 households, and 3,181 families residing in the city. The population density
was 891.9 people per square mile (344.3/km²). There were 5,745 housing units at an average density of 421.6 per square mile (162.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.99% White, 0.90% African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.42% from other races
, and 1.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.65% of the population.
There were 5,132 households out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.8% were married couples
living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.0% were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 88.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,668, and the median income for a family was $36,509. Males had a median income of $27,657 versus $17,509 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $16,636. About 12.3% of families and 15.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.4% of those under age 18 and 18.0% of those age 65 or over.
.
Notable onetime residents include Walter Reed
and novelist Harold Bell Wright
, author of The Shepherd of the Hills
. While in Lebanon, Wright wrote the scathing The Calling of Dan Matthews as an indictment of the general hypocrisy of the town of Lebanon. In the novel a young preacher becomes disgusted with the closed-mindedness of his parish. Several real life sites are mentioned in the novel.
Senator Claire McCaskill
spent time in Lebanon during her childhood as it was her mother's hometown. Congressman Richard Parks Bland and Missouri Governor Phil M. Donnelly
also called the town home. Dramatist Lanford Wilson
was born in Lebanon in 1937. Architect Antoine Predock
was born in Lebanon in 1936.
Perhaps the most distinctive piece in Lebanon’s history is the "magnetic" water. A worker digging a new city water well in 1889 found that his tools could pick up nails. The water had magnetized them. Bathing in the magnetic waters was said to have healing powers and visitors came to bathe in them. The Gasconade Hotel was built to accommodate them and no grander building has ever been seen in Lebanon. The frame structure could house up to 500 guests, who were transported from the depot via an electric railroad. Never a great success, the Gasconade burned after only 10 years. The high school yearbook is named "The Magnet" in honor of this point in the town's history.
The town now serves as a "hub" of boat-manufacturing, factory, and farming cultures. In 1983, Governor Kit Bond
dubbed Lebanon the "Aluminum Fishing Boat Capital of the World."
Starting in the 1980s, Lebanon had a longtime association with the Babe Ruth League youth baseball program. Lebanon served as the host city for seven Babe Ruth World Series held in 1986, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1996 and 2000.
The construction of the Kenneth E. Cowan Civic Center in 1998 allowed Lebanon to serve as a site for numerous conventions, shows and events. The facility is named for the late Mayor Kenneth Cowan, who proposed the construction of the center prior to his death in 1995. The center includes a 46000 square feet (4,273.5 m²) exhibition hall that hosts a diverse range of events, including concerts, ice shows, rodeos, conventions, graduations, indoor sporting events, trade shows and more. The hall can seat 6,500 people. The facility also includes a 675-seat theater, an indoor pool, a basketball court, multi-purpose court and a fitness/weight room.
Lebanon is located on Historic Route 66 and is the home for the Missouri State Association of Free Will Baptists headquarters. It has hosted the Albert E. Brumley
Gospel Sing since 2006.
Lebanon has also had a longtime association with nearby Bennett Spring State Park, which is located 12 miles (19.3 km) west of the city on Highway 64. Each March, several thousand anglers from across the country travel to Lebanon and Bennett Spring for the opening of trout season. Traditionally, downtown Lebanon hosts the first night of the Hillbilly Days festival, held each Father's Day weekend in June.
Laclede County, Missouri
Laclede County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of 2000, the population was 32,513. Its county seat is Lebanon. The county was organized February 24, 1849, and was named after Pierre Laclède, founder of St...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The estimated population in July 2009 was 14,292. The population was 12,155 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Laclede County
Laclede County, Missouri
Laclede County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of 2000, the population was 32,513. Its county seat is Lebanon. The county was organized February 24, 1849, and was named after Pierre Laclède, founder of St...
. The Lebanon Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Laclede County.
Geography
Lebanon is located at 37°40′42"N 92°39′42"W (37.678203, -92.661694). According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 13.7 square miles (35.5 km²), of which, 13.6 square miles (35.2 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (0.22%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 12,155 people, 5,132 households, and 3,181 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 891.9 people per square mile (344.3/km²). There were 5,745 housing units at an average density of 421.6 per square mile (162.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.99% White, 0.90% African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.42% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.65% of the population.
There were 5,132 households out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.8% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.0% were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 88.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,668, and the median income for a family was $36,509. Males had a median income of $27,657 versus $17,509 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $16,636. About 12.3% of families and 15.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.4% of those under age 18 and 18.0% of those age 65 or over.
Culture and History
Lebanon was initially called Wyota, after the original Indian inhabitants of the area. The town was renamed Lebanon after the hometown of a respected minister – Lebanon, TennesseeLebanon, Tennessee
Lebanon is a city in Wilson County, Tennessee, in the United States. The population was 20,235 at the 2000 census. It serves as the county seat of Wilson County. Lebanon is located in middle Tennessee, approximately 25 miles east of downtown Nashville. Local residents have also called it...
.
Notable onetime residents include Walter Reed
Walter Reed
Major Walter Reed, M.D., was a U.S. Army physician who in 1900 led the team that postulated and confirmed the theory that yellow fever is transmitted by a particular mosquito species, rather than by direct contact...
and novelist Harold Bell Wright
Harold Bell Wright
Harold Bell Wright was a best-selling American writer of fiction, essays, and non-fiction during the first half of the 20th century. Although mostly forgotten or ignored after the middle of the 20th century, he is said to have been the first American writer to sell a million copies of a novel and...
, author of The Shepherd of the Hills
The Shepherd of the Hills
The Shepherd of the Hills is a book written in 1907 by author Harold Bell Wright. It depicts a mostly fictional story of mountain folklore and has been translated into seven languages since its release. It is also depicted in a popular outdoor play numerous times each week from May to October, in...
. While in Lebanon, Wright wrote the scathing The Calling of Dan Matthews as an indictment of the general hypocrisy of the town of Lebanon. In the novel a young preacher becomes disgusted with the closed-mindedness of his parish. Several real life sites are mentioned in the novel.
Senator Claire McCaskill
Claire McCaskill
Claire Conner McCaskill is the senior United States Senator from Missouri and a member of the Democratic Party. She defeated Republican incumbent Jim Talent in the 2006 U.S. Senate election, by a margin of 49.6% to 47.3%. She is the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from Missouri in her own...
spent time in Lebanon during her childhood as it was her mother's hometown. Congressman Richard Parks Bland and Missouri Governor Phil M. Donnelly
Phil M. Donnelly
Philip Matthew Donnelly was the 41st and 43rd Governor of Missouri. He was a Democrat. Donnelly and Christopher S. "Kit" Bond are unique in being the only Missouri governors to serve two non-consecutive terms....
also called the town home. Dramatist Lanford Wilson
Lanford Wilson
Lanford Wilson was an American playwright who helped to advance the Off-Off-Broadway theater movement. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1980, was elected in 2001 to the Theater Hall of Fame, and in 2004 was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters...
was born in Lebanon in 1937. Architect Antoine Predock
Antoine Predock
Antoine Predock is an American architect based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Antoine Predock is the Principal of Antoine Predock Architect PC. The studio was established in 1967...
was born in Lebanon in 1936.
Perhaps the most distinctive piece in Lebanon’s history is the "magnetic" water. A worker digging a new city water well in 1889 found that his tools could pick up nails. The water had magnetized them. Bathing in the magnetic waters was said to have healing powers and visitors came to bathe in them. The Gasconade Hotel was built to accommodate them and no grander building has ever been seen in Lebanon. The frame structure could house up to 500 guests, who were transported from the depot via an electric railroad. Never a great success, the Gasconade burned after only 10 years. The high school yearbook is named "The Magnet" in honor of this point in the town's history.
The town now serves as a "hub" of boat-manufacturing, factory, and farming cultures. In 1983, Governor Kit Bond
Kit Bond
Christopher Samuel "Kit" Bond is a former United States Senator from Missouri and a member of the Republican Party. First elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986, he defeated Democrat Harriett Woods by a margin of 53%-47%. He was re-elected in 1992, 1998, and 2004...
dubbed Lebanon the "Aluminum Fishing Boat Capital of the World."
Starting in the 1980s, Lebanon had a longtime association with the Babe Ruth League youth baseball program. Lebanon served as the host city for seven Babe Ruth World Series held in 1986, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1996 and 2000.
The construction of the Kenneth E. Cowan Civic Center in 1998 allowed Lebanon to serve as a site for numerous conventions, shows and events. The facility is named for the late Mayor Kenneth Cowan, who proposed the construction of the center prior to his death in 1995. The center includes a 46000 square feet (4,273.5 m²) exhibition hall that hosts a diverse range of events, including concerts, ice shows, rodeos, conventions, graduations, indoor sporting events, trade shows and more. The hall can seat 6,500 people. The facility also includes a 675-seat theater, an indoor pool, a basketball court, multi-purpose court and a fitness/weight room.
Lebanon is located on Historic Route 66 and is the home for the Missouri State Association of Free Will Baptists headquarters. It has hosted the Albert E. Brumley
Albert E. Brumley
Albert Edward Brumley was a shape note gospel music composer and publisher.Brumley was born near Spiro, Oklahoma on October 29, 1905. Pre-Dustbowl Oklahoma was primarily made up of sparse agricultural communities; Brumley's family was no different. He spent much of his early life chopping and...
Gospel Sing since 2006.
Lebanon has also had a longtime association with nearby Bennett Spring State Park, which is located 12 miles (19.3 km) west of the city on Highway 64. Each March, several thousand anglers from across the country travel to Lebanon and Bennett Spring for the opening of trout season. Traditionally, downtown Lebanon hosts the first night of the Hillbilly Days festival, held each Father's Day weekend in June.
Registered historic places
- Laclede County Jail (also known as Laclede County Museum)
- Lebanon I-44 Speedway
External links
- City of Lebanon, Missouri
- Lebanon Area Chamber of Commerce
- Historic maps of Lebanon in the Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection at the University of MissouriUniversity of MissouriThe University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...