Mount Lebanon Town Hall, P.O. Box 588, Mount Lebanon, LA 71028
Beginnings [1]
The town of Mount Lebanon began in 1836 when a group of prosperous farmers from Edgefield District in South Carolina settled in the area. During 1836-1837 they established homes, cleared land, opened a post office and several stores, and organized a Baptist Church. There were about 12 families in the original group, and at first the settlement was known as the Carolina Colony. Many persons of these original families were related to each other directly or by marriage, and this situation made for a close-knit community with a high degree of shared values.
The community prospered and during the 1840s, other persons were attracted to Mt.Lebanon and its nice homes, expanding trade center, strong church, and congenial society. The village eventually numbers about 50 families, most of which were from South Carolina.
In 1851 a New Orleans newspaper predicted that Mt. Lebanon would become one of the most important towns in north Louisiana. The article said the town was pretty healthy and pleasant. In 1860, journalist J.W. Dorr gave the following description:
It is a delightful town of about three or four hundred inhabitants. It is famous for health, wealth, educational institutions, and good people of South Carolina stock. The town is well built with everything to indicate wealth and refinement. One is likely to want to prolong his stay indefinitely and if spurred by inevitable necessity leaves it with regret.
The town was a major center of Baptist activity in north Louisiana from the 1840s through the 1860s.