Lebanon is a town in New London County, Connecticut. The town is part of the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The population was 7,142 at the 2020 census. The town lies just to the northwest of Norwich, directly south of Willimantic, 20 miles (32 km) north of New London, and 20 miles (32 km) east of Hartford. It is best known for its role in the American Revolution when it was a major base of American operations, and for its historic town green, which is one of the largest in the nation and the only one still used partially for agriculture.

History

From Poquechaneed to Lebanon

Lebanon was originally inhabited by the Mohegan people, an Algonquian-speaking tribe in the upper Thames River Valley in eastern Connecticut. The area was known as Poquechaneed and was used primarily for hunting.

Lebanon was settled by colonists from Norwich who wanted to expand beyond the nine square miles that they had bought from Mohegan sachem Uncas. In 1663, the first grant in the area was given to Major John Mason, deputy governor of the Connecticut Colony; the next year, Mason accepted 500 acres (2.0 km) northwest of Norwich. This area was known as “Pomakuck” or “Pomocook” by the Mohegans and is now the Goshen Hill area of Lebanon.

In 1666, Connecticut granted an additional 120 acres (0.49 km) to the Rev. James Fitch, minister of Norwich, adjacent to Maj. Mason’s land which was now known as Cedar Swamp. The Mohegans conferred their blessing on the grants by giving an additional 7-mile (11 km) strip to Maj. Mason’s son in 1675, who split the land with the Rev. Fitch, his father-in-law. This area is now known as “Fitch and Mason’s Mile”, or just “The Mile”.

In 1692, Uncas’ son Owaneco sold 25 square miles (65 km) to four men from Norwich and Stonington known as the “Five Mile Purchase” or “Five Mile Square”, being 5 miles (8 km) on each side. With the Purchase, most of the town of Lebanon was established.

The town of Lebanon was incorporated by the General Assembly of the Connecticut Colony on October 10, 1700. The town’s name was the idea of one of Rev. Fitch’s sons, because of “the height of the land, and a large cedar forest.” Lebanon was the first town in the Connecticut Colony to be given a Biblical name.

“Heartbeat of the Revolution”

Connecticut’s effort during the Revolutionary War was directed from the War Office on the Green and the adjacent home of Governor Jonathan Trumbull Sr.

William Williams was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He was a native of Lebanon and son-in-law to Governor Trumbull.

Trumbull was the only colonial governor to side with the Patriots during the Revolution. He served as one of George Washington’s chief quartermasters, convening a Council of Safety to manage the affairs of the Continental Army. The council met over 1,100 times, mostly in Trumbull’s own house on the Lebanon Green. He was also paymaster general for the Northern Department of the Continental Army, and the first comptroller of the young nation’s treasury during the war.

Trumbull’s children were also influential in the war effort. Joseph Trumbull was a colonel in the Continental Army, Jonathan Trumbull Jr. was secretary to George Washington, and John Trumbull served first as a soldier and then as Washington’s personal aide during the war.

French duc de Lauzun’s Legion of Horse encamped in Lebanon from November 1780 to June 21, 1781. The legion became infamous later for disorderliness, dueling, and pillaging, but they were generally well behaved in Lebanon. However, two officers were executed by firing squad for attempted desertion while here. The local economy benefited only slightly from the troops’ extended stay. In June, the soldiers rode off toward White Plains, New York. Lauzun remarked later in his memoirs, “Siberia alone can furnish any idea of Lebanon, which consists of a few huts scattered among vast forests.”

The importance of the Trumbull family and of Lebanon itself to the war effort earned the town the nickname “Heartbeat of the Revolution.”

Into the 19th and 20th centuries

Joseph Trumbull, father of Jonathan Trumbull Sr., brought livestock farming to the town in 1704, and Lebanon had the largest meat packing industry in Connecticut by 1730. Agriculture has since been the primary focus of the town. The Trumbull family left Lebanon after the death of Jonathan Trumbull Jr. in 1809, and the town’s political significance fell.

Lebanon maintained its focus on agriculture and remained a dedicated farming town, as the towns around it became more commercialized. It was this characteristic that brought a major wave of immigration in the early 20th century. Political troubles in Russia and the onset of the First World War encouraged many to flee to America. The village of Karlswalde near Ostrog saw its entire population leave. Philip Krause settled in the Village Hill area of Lebanon. The town offered similar terrain and fertile farming ground, and 12 families of Karlswalde had moved to the Lebanon neighborhood by 1928. Many of these families are still present and active in Lebanon today and have been a major influence on the town’s culture.

The Liberty Hill neighborhood was the commercial center of town for most of the 19th century and into the 20th, holding the town’s post office and two general stores. It was Lebanon’s primary link to the larger Connecticut and New England communities. The area maintained its importance into the 1940s.

Lebanon saw more than ten percent of its residents leave to fight in the Second World War. The Memorial Day parade is still one of the town’s largest annual celebrations.

Present

The town has large agricultural and service sectors, the largest employers being farms and the school system. KofKoff Egg Farms is New England’s largest egg producer, and it maintains a farm in the town. The Lebanon Country Fair is known for its agricultural shows. The Lebanon School District is responsible for the town’s three schools: Lyman Memorial High School, Lebanon Middle School, and Lebanon Elementary School. The town is still centered around the Green which is the site of many of Lebanon’s most prominent past citizens’ homes, including Gov. Trumbull and William Beaumont. First Congregational Church of Lebanon, Lebanon Baptist Church, and Saint Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic Church are also located on the Green. The Jonathan Trumbull Library is also located on the Green, as are the War Office, the Jonathan Trumbull Jr. house, and the Wadsworth Stable. The Redeemer Lutheran Church is located at the Village Hill area of town, with the Lebanon Bible Church and Goshen Congregational Church located in the Goshen area.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 6,907 people, 2,446 households, and 1,934 families residing in the town. The population density was 127.6 inhabitants per square mile (49.3/km²). There were 2,820 housing units at an average density of 52.1 per square mile (20.1/km). The racial makeup of the town was 96.89% White, 0.81% African American, 0.39% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.49% from other races, and 1.10% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.65% of the population.

There were 2,446 households, out of which 38.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.4% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.9% were non-families. 15.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.0% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $61,173, and the median income for a family was $63,198. Males had a median income of $45,952 versus $35,594 for females. The per capita income for the town was $25,784. About 1.5% of families and 2.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.0% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.