Lebanon is a great small town with a rich history, beautiful neighborhoods and many National Register of Historic Places sites. Historic Lebanon mission is simple; we use historic preservation for positive economic impact in the Lebanon community. A vibrant historic downtown core is essential to Lebanon’s economic development, quality of life and civic pride.

We are a strong advocate for the proper development of our Square and surrounding neighborhoods for now and for generations to come. We all love and want to preserve the small-town charm of Lebanon and its sense of community, but to stay vibrant we must have smart growth.

Historic Lebanon’s job is to make sure growth happens in a way that preserves the essence of Lebanon; embracing our past while looking forward to new opportunities in the future.   

 Our focus is to preserve the historic buildings, increase tourism, entice more  entrepreneurs and to create a sense of place in our historic downtown core. We want to use the historic properties in new ways to create a vibrant area with restaurants, retail/office spaces and urban living.  Another goal is a more walkable downtown with public green spaces, a direct connection to the Music City Start commuter train station through a walking trail and the installation of public art.  These improvements will create a gathering place for locals as well as increase tourism to the historic downtown.  

Simply put; Historic Lebanon strives to enhance Lebanon’s quality of life and to increase our profile as a great small town. 

Educating the public on Lebanon’s rich history is another part of the non-profit’s mission.  The organization has produced a Historic Driving Tour and written two books on local history.   Historic Lebanon is also in charge of the local Tennessee Main Street program.  A real advantage of Main Street communities is the program’s strength in achieving economic vitality.  Studies show for every one dollar invested in a historic downtown, there is a thirty-six-dollar return.  This return on investment (ROI) is achieved by using the four points of the Main Street program, Design, Organization, Promotion and Economic Vitality to present our Square is its best light. These four elements come together to create positive economic progress for the community.