Lebanon, Missouri is located in the scenic Ozarks of south-central Missouri. It is home for over 12,000 residents. The people of the city of Lebanon have shared the natural beauty of this area with sightseers and tourists through the years and have managed to maintain close ties with the land and with one another.
The topography of this region of Missouri is diverse. It includes farmlands and pastures spreading through gentle valleys and over wooded terrain. It also includes rugged forested hills and some of the most beautiful streams found anywhere in Missouri.
It is reported that Jesse Ballew, in 1820, was the first white settler within the bounds of what was later to become Laclede County. Between the years of 1835 and 1840 the area was surveyed to be approved as Laclede County in 1849. A county seat then had to be found. Two tracts of land were donated at the present location where Lebanon is situated. Thus, in 1849, Lebanon was created as the county seat of Laclede County.