Lebanon, Wilson County, Tennessee

Lebanon, the county seat of Wilson, was founded in 1802, at which time the commission appointed by the General Assembly for that purpose, selected the land of James Menees upon which to locate the county seat. The town lots were sold at public auction on the 16th of August of the same year, among the purchasers being:

Lebanon is situated on the east branch of Barton Creek (Town Branch), six miles south of Cumberland River, and about six miles north of the geographical center of the county, and on the Tennessee & Pacific Railway, thirty miles east from Nashville, and has a population of 3,000. The first settler on what is now the site of Lebanon, was Neddie Jacobs, who built a small log hut in 1800, and maintained himself and wife by fishing and hunting. He was an odd character, and is remembered chiefly for his fiddling propensities, as he would sit and fiddle by the hour, putting aside his beloved instrument only to replenish his larder with game. The first house after the town was laid out was built by John Impson, which stood near the spring in the Public Square. Thomas Impson, Edward Mitchell, Edmund Crutcher and James Anderson also erected houses at about the same time. The first brick house was erected in 1812 by Dr. Henry Shelby, and soon afterward another brick house was erected by Joseph Johnson. "William Allen, an Irishman, was the first man to open a store in Lebanon, and the first hotel proprietor was Edward Mitchell, these two gentlemen engaging in business in 1803. The first physicians were Drs. John Tulloch and Samuel Hogg. The first postmaster was John Allcorn, and the first school-teacher was an Irishman named John Trotter, in about 1805. The first church was the Methodist Church, which was erected in about 1812, of which Rev. German Baker was the first preacher. Previous to this services were held at private residences and in the court house.

In November, 1807, the General Assembly passed an act for the regulation of the town of Lebanon, by which Samuel Hogg, Edmund Crutcher, David Marshall, Joseph Johnson and John Allcorn were appointed commissioners. The act provided further that a majority of the commissioners should constitute a quorum, and that one of their number should be chosen as president to preside over their meetings. The commissioners were given power to levy a tax on all town lots, call out the able-bodied men to work on the roads, and appropriate money for the improvement of the town.

Edmund Crutcher was chosen as the first president of the commission, and consequently was the first mayor of Lebanon.

What's New in Lebanon
Lebanon Newspapers
Business Men of 1800 - 1820
Business Men of 1820
Business Men of 1830
Business Men of 1850
Business Men of 1860
General Business Men of 1870
Physicians Past and Present of Lebanon
Lebanon Churches
Secret Societies of Lebanon

 Wilson County | AHGP Tennessee

Source: History of Tennessee, Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1886