Lebanon City Map Poster

About Lebanon

Lebanon is home to the Warren County Fairgrounds, which hosts the Ohio State Fair. Lebanon was laid out in 1810 by General Samuel Holden Parsons (1752–1827), who named it after Lebanon, Connecticut. The city's growth began when the National Road reached it from Zanesville in 1837; prior to that time, most trade and travel had been via water routes such as downriver on the Ohio River or upriver on its tributary Big Beaver Creek. In 1840 a group of Methodist ministers founded Miami University just north of town; they chose this location because land was cheaper than elsewhere and because they were refused entry into Cincinnati due to their abolitionist views.[3] The university still has a presence in Lebanon today with an enrollment of nearly 5,000 students at its main campus located just outside town limits.[4] Other educational institutions include Heidelberg University[5], established by German immigrants circa 1850,[6][7][8] and Grace College & Seminary,[9] founded by Rev John Gano Miller circa 1900.