Lebanon, Kansas
city in Smith County, Kansas, United States
Lebanon is a city in Smith County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 178, which is 40 fewer than the 2010 census. The geographic center of the contiguous United States is located 2.6 miles (4.2 km) northwest of the city, with a monument marking the location, and the city was recorded as having the lowest minimum temperature ever recorded in Kansas in 1905.
History
Lebanon was founded in 1876 at a site about 4 miles (6.4 km) distant from its present site. It was moved to the new site in about 1887–1888. Lebanon is named after Lebanon, Kentucky.
In 1918, a scientific survey established the geographic center of the 48 contiguous US states about 2.6 miles (4.2 km) northwest of Lebanon, and a monument was subsequently erected at the site. The geographic center of all 50 of the US states is located near Belle Fourche, South Dakota.
On May 27, 2013, a large and violent EF-3 tornado touched down North East of the small town. Traveling East, it struck multiple small farm structures.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Lebanon, Kansas” is city in Smith County, Kansas, United States. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Lebanon, Kansas and city, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “city in Smith County, Kansas, United States” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 25, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1012298. VIAF identifies the subject as 126976886. The Library of Congress control number is no97033609. Authority coordinates are 39.811, -98.556. 3 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2020, 2010, 1905 and 1876.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Lebanon, Kansas”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Lebanon, Kansas primary sources, Lebanon, Kansas archive and Lebanon research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Lebanon, Kansas”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Lebanon, Kansas” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.