18th Century History
ORIGINAL OCCUPANCY
Mound Builders – Centuries ago, so far in the dim, shadowy past that no trace of their history has been preserved, there lived on this continent, as it is believed, a race of people now called the “Pre-Historic Race, or Mound Builders.” Nothing, however, is positively known of them, but that some race of people, somewhat civilized and enlightened, lived here before the Indians did. There is abundant evidence. Mounds of earth and other ancient works, containing implements and relics of a civilized or semi-civilized people with marked ingenuity, have been found throughout the country, and about these the Indians could give no account, not even a tradition. Many of the relics found were far superior in ingenuity to those of the Indians, all of which tends to show that a peculiar race of people inhabited this country prior to the Indian family. In this particular county, however, no works have been discovered that are evidently those of the Mound Builders. When the whites first occupied this country they found the Indians here without a written history, and as to how long they had inhabited it cannot even be conjectured with any certainty. Consequently, the history of this county, as well as of the whole country, commences with its first settlement by the whites.
[Source: "History of Laclede, Camden, Dallas, Webster, Wright, Texas, Pulaski, Phelps and Dent Counties, Missouri", Chicago: The Goodspeed Publishing Co. 1889)
Painting by David Smothers
19th Century History
No picture remains of the original jail that I am aware of. The first one was built about 1849 and was made of logs on three sides it was probably part of the Courthouse at that time which was two stories high. It was built at a cost of $350 by W.O. Duvall. This jail burned in 1857 and a new one was erected but during the Civil War it also burned, A new jail pictured was not built until 1876 and remained for 133 years. Pictured Photo Courtesy of Kirk Pearce and Donnie Raef
Commercial Street downtown Lebanon Missouri 1930's.
20th Century History
By the 1900's Lebanon had become modern by today's standard, automobiles were replacing the horse drawn buggies of years past. The railroad had come through the town shortly after the Civil War and provided much for the citizen's needs. New business was being built and the population was increasing. Photo courtesy of Kirk Pearce and Donnie Raef
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