Lebanon In 1818

The following article was taken from The Western Star of March 15, 1888. The writer is anonymous.

"Would the readers of the Star like to know how Lebanon looked more than seventy years ago? (about 1818). My recollections are about this: the court house, a two-story brick building (erected 1805), not very large but ample for the times, stood on the corner where the opera house (Town Hall) now stands; the court room was below stairs; the clerk's office and jury room were upstairs. Francis Dunlevy was presiding judge; Mathias Corwin, Ignatius Brown, and Jacob D. Lowe were associate judges; Mathias Corwin, Jr., clerk; Samuel McCray, sheriff.
"The lawyers were Joshua Collett, John and Wm. McLean, Thomas Freeman, Thomas R. Ross, Thomas Corwin and A. H. Dunlevy, who had the reputation of being as able a bar as any in the State.
"The jail was a one story stone building of two rooms; it stood on the southwest corner of the public square.
"There were three churches. The Baptist Church stood in the northwest corner of the Baptist burying ground; it was a two story brick with galleries on the east, north and west sides; it had a high pulpit so the preacher could be seen by both the gallery and those below. The Rev. Daniel Clark was pastor.
"The Presbyterian Church, the largest in town, stood on the ground where the present church stands; it was a two story brick with galleries on the west, north, and east sides and had a high pulpit. Rev. Mr. Grey was pastor, Daniel Skinner, and Silas Hurin, clerks, as they were then called, leaders in singing.
"The Methodist Church stood where the present church now stands; it was a one story brick building with a high arched ceiling. An iron ran across the center of the house to hold the plates to keep the roof from spreading. It had a high pulpit; I suppose that was the style in those days.
"There were four doctors in Lebanon, then - Moore, Canby, Morris, and Winans.
"There was a small brick school house standing about where the Methodist parsonage now stands, the only school house in town. It was too small for anything but a very small school. The schools were held in private houses. There were three teachers then in Lebanon: Josephus Dunham, Daniel Mitchel, and Samuel Cain.
"As to taverns as they were called in early times, they generally hung out a sign with some kind of a picture. The 'Indian Chief' tavern kept by Captain Rue, stood on the ground now occupied by the east end of the opera house (Town Hall). There was a two story log house standing on the ground where the north end of the Lebanon House (the Golden Lamb) now stands, where Jonas Seaman kept a tavern.
"Where the Conrey Building now stands, stood a two story brick building and tavern kept by John Spencer, sign of the 'Cross Keys.' James Hill kept tavern in the Hardy corner (now the location of the Lebanon-Citizens National Bank building). Richard Parcell had a tavern in the Colvin house; (now the building where the A & P Tea Co. is located), sign, 'Gen. Washington.' On the southeast corner of Mulberry and Mechanic streets, Mr. Leonard had a tavern; sign, 'Gen. Jackson' on horseback. "In the building north of the Colvin building, George Kesling had a dry goods store. There were two dry goods stores on Main street between Mechanic and Broadway. On Broadway there were six dry goods stores, kept by A. Crawford, John Adams, Wm. Lowry, James Edwards, Robert Wood, and George Hornsberger, who was post master.
"There were two market houses, one on Silver street opposite John Drake's carriage shop; the street was wider then, so that there were passage ways on each side of the market house; the building was open, and it was a good place to raise fleas. The other market house was in the center of Broadway, just south of Main street; the history of this latter house was interesting at the time.
"There were three tan yards, one on Cherry street just south of Wes. Randall's residence ( a little off Main street), owned by Silas Hurin; one down by the creek, on Main street, owned by Joshua Hollingsworth, one on Sycamore street, where the planing mill (Johnston & Johnston) now stands, owned by William Lytle.
"There was one fulling mill owned by George Dyche; one wool carding machine, owned by Samuel Surring. There were two cabinet shops, two chair shops, one coppersmith and tin shop, one brewery, one hat shop and one pottery."

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This page created 8 August 2004 and last updated 28 September, 2008
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