Lebanon

Lebanon is a city in, and is the County Seat of        Boone County, Indiana. Lebanon has a population of nearly 16,000 residents. The city is of smaller size with a land mass area of 7.3 square miles. 7% of the population is below the poverty level. Lebanon got its name from a stand of hickory trees on the original site of the town, that reminded the commissioners of the Biblical cedars of Lebanon. Lebanon is one of the most conservative regions in the United States, yet for the last sixteen years they have had a Democratic Mayor. The reason I bought this smaller town is I spent alot of time there growing up. The town is a nice and friendly city. It always had the small town feel, everybody knew eachother, with the weekends reserved for neighborhood cookouts and kids going from house to house to eat. The Boone County court house is a must see if you are ever driving between Indianapolis and Chicago. The courthouse was built in 1911 with limestone from Bedford Indiana. The large columns on the north and south entrances are believed to be the largest monolithic limestone columns in the world. The courthouse dome is the second largest stained glass dome in Indiana. Also there are eight rare Hahl pneumatically calibrated clocks that still keep time inside the courthouse. Actually they keep perfect time at nearly 100 years old.

Lebanon was officially established on April 30, 1830, following action by the Indiana General Assembly. Lebanon was selected as the county seat in 1832. Lebanon was founded by General James Perry Drake and Colonel George L. Kinnard. They both had served in the Indiana Milita. Both men were community builders and shrewed developers and land speculators. Drake and Kinnard had learned early of the planned organization to turn the area into Boone County. They purchased three tracts of land near the center of the county. Being land speculators they knew most county seat towns are near the middle of the county. They speculated that a town would be formed here. On March 1, 1830 Drake and Kinnard applied for a deed to the land. The purchase price was $1.25 for a acre, the gowing rate at the time. With the land purchased Drake and Kinnard went about platting the town. The original plat consisted of 19 blocks surrounding the public square. To make sure their plans would suceed Kinnard, who also was a county surveyer surveyed a road from Indianapolis to Lafayette Indiana. The way the road was to be layed out would take it eight blocks from town, but Kinnard managed to bring it thru town. Shortly after the county was organized Drake and Kinnard had a setback, the General Assembly decided to make Jamestown the county seat. Not to be outdone Drake and Kinnard lobbied has and after two years won the battle, and it was decided Lebanon would be the county seat. To make sure this would not happen again Drake and Kinnard donated every third lot, the town square and 40 acres of additional land. They also donated the bricks and shingles to build the courthouse. The county commissioners snaped the deal up. The first courthouse was built in 1839. It was rebuilt in 1856. Finally the present courthouse was built in 1909.