Lebanon, Kentucky
Encyclopedia
Lebanon is a city in Marion County
Marion County, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 18,212 people, 6,613 households, and 4,754 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 7,277 housing units at an average density of...

, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The population was 6,331 at the 2010 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 Marion County
Marion County, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 18,212 people, 6,613 households, and 4,754 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 7,277 housing units at an average density of...

. Lebanon is located in central Kentucky, southeast of Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...

. A national cemetery
Lebanon National Cemetery
Lebanon National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located just outside the city of Lebanon in Marion County, Kentucky. It encompasses and as of the end of 2005 it had 4,699 interments...

 is located nearby.

Lebanon is renowned for its Ham Days Festival and Tractor Show which is held during the last weekend of September. In the 1960s and early 1970s it was known as an entertainment hotspot, as nationally known acts appeared at Club 68 and the Golden Horseshoe nightclubs.

Geography

Lebanon is located at 37°34′14"N 85°15′23"W (37.570623, -85.256263). It is approximately 30 miles (48.3 km) from its larger neighboring city of Danville and 20 miles (32.2 km) north of nearby Campbellsville. It is located at the junction of US 68 and Kentucky Route 55, Kentucky Route 52 and Kentucky Route 49
Kentucky Route 49
Kentucky Route 49 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The route originates at US 150 in Bardstown and goes south towards Loretto, then heads east-south east concurrent with Kentucky Route 52 to Lebanon It splits with KY 52 in Lebanon and goes southeast to Bradfordsville then it...

. KY 84 interscts 52/49 just west of town.

According to the United States Census Bureau
United 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 4.4 square miles (11.4 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
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 2009, there were 6,331 people, 2,332 households, and 1,476 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 1296.6 /sqmi. There were 2,555 housing units at an average density of 579.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 77.88% White, 19.92% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.73% Asian, 0.47% 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 0.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.03% of the population.

There were 2,332 households out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.5% 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, 20.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 85.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $21,860, and the median income for a family was $26,552. Males had a median income of $25,889 versus $18,680 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 $14,311. About 26.7% of families and 30.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.8% of those under age 18 and 20.9% of those age 65 or over.

The population was 5,528 in 1970; 6,590 in 1980; and 5,695 in 1990.

History

Lebanon was established in 1814 and was named for the Biblical Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...

 because of the abundant cedar trees. The founding community traces back to the Hardin's Creek Meeting House, built by Presbyterians from Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

. It became the county seat of Marion County by 1835.

To avoid confusion in historical contexts, it is important to note that prior to the establishment of the city now known as Lebanon, the nearby town of Georgetown, Kentucky
Georgetown, Kentucky
Georgetown is a city in Scott County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 29,098 at the 2010 census. The original settlement of Lebanon, founded by Rev. Elijah Craig, was renamed in 1790 in honor of President George Washington. It is the home of Georgetown College, a private liberal arts...

 had also been named Lebanon during its first few years of establishment. The original city of Lebanon in Kentucky was renamed as Georgetown in 1790 in honor of George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...

.

A branch of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad was built to Lebanon in 1857, but growth of the town was halted by the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

. Three battles were fought nearby, and control over the railroad branch passed between Union and Confederate hands several times. Confederate John Hunt Morgan
John Hunt Morgan
John Hunt Morgan was a Confederate general and cavalry officer in the American Civil War.Morgan is best known for Morgan's Raid when, in 1863, he and his men rode over 1,000 miles covering a region from Tennessee, up through Kentucky, into Indiana and on to southern Ohio...

's cavalry burned the railroad depot, a hotel, several residences on July 5, 1863.

The town rebounded after the war and became a trade center, but declined as railroads became less important to commerce in the 1900s. The tracks were abandoned, then eventually removed by CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...

 in the mid-1980s.

Lebanon was the home of Sam B. Thomas
Sam B. Thomas
Sam B. Thomas, Sr. , was a Kentucky educator who served from January 1972 until December 1986 as a Democratic member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from Lebanon, the seat of Marion County.- Biography :...

, a Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 member of the Kentucky House of Representatives
Kentucky House of Representatives
The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kentucky General Assembly. It is composed of 100 Representatives elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. Not more than two counties can be joined to form a House district, except when necessary to preserve...

, who served from District 24 from 1972-1986. During the 1960s, Marion County was in the 29th District and was represented by Democrat James E. Whitlock
James E. Whitlock
James E. Whitlock, known as Jimmy Whitlock , is a former Democratic member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from Lebanon, the seat of Marion County, Kentucky....

 of Lebanon from 1962–1967 and then Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 Herman W. Rattliff
Herman Rattliff
Herman Willard Rattliff is a retired businessman from Campbellsville, Kentucky, who served from 1968-1986 as a Republican member of the Kentucky House of Representatives. He authored the Rattliff-Ward Textbook Act of 1976....

 of Campbellsville
Campbellsville, Kentucky
Campbellsville is a city in Taylor County, Kentucky, United States. The population within city limits was 10,498 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Taylor County, and the home of Campbellsville University...

from 1968-1971.
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