Lebanon High is 100 By Sharon Black

Positive News Story for you! The Lebanon High School is 100 years old!

Sharon loves history and wanted to share this.

Lebanon High School 1924

The historic high school in Lebanon, Kansas, is 100 years old. The brick building was erected in 1924 on the east corner of the north end of Main Street. It included a gymnasium, auditorium, offices, and classrooms.

Some of the familiar names of the first graduating class in the new building were Grace Allen, Mary Brown, Clara Bunker, Donald Henrickson, Claude Isom, Eva Olson, Owen Shively, Gurvaice Tomlinson, and Faye Woods. In total there were 36 graduates that year.

The school’s mascot was the Broncos. In 1977, the high school basketball team won the 1A state championship.

For 60 years, students, teachers, and parents walked under the cement archway with letters spelling LEBANON HIGH SCHOOL 1924. In 1984, the school closed due to consolidation. That graduating class of ten were Robert Lovewell, Bill Allen, Douglas Flint, Marla Lorence, John Allen, Martha Brigden, Terry Jennings,…

Earlier, Lebanon’s first high school was on Pine Street, a trio of wood buildings. The large two-story building was moved to where it was a part of The Bunker Hotel. The frame building was moved to the area of the brick high school, and used as the grade school. Later it became the Vo-Ag building.

Elizabeth Wehe Price wrote that her husband, Garnet Price, took AG classes during 1941-1942 in the frame building.

“Both buildings were moved from their original location in 1906 to their current locations. The last high school building and community hall were built in 1924 making them 100 years old!” Gloria Snow said.

The Kanza House Genealogy, History, Library & Museum is now inside the high school. Gloria Snow is the president of the board of Kanza House, and Sharon Black (Home on the Range) is Vice President. Many improvements have been made inside the school. With the help of volunteers, things were hauled out and in, painted, and rearranged, all keeping the building’s historical attributes.

Lebanon Bronchos 1977 State Champs Banner

The front entrance of the building is now one door instead of the original building’s design. Snow acquired the building and opened the library in 2001.

Inside is genealogical books, the history of Lebanon, and the alumni photos and memorabilia. It also includes the desk of the late Phyllis Bell, who was the editor of The Lebanon Times, mother of Gloria Snow and Rise Bell.

Phyllis spent hours securing newspaper articles in notebooks. There is one on Home on the Range, which is a cabin and song, and thanks to her, she nominated the cabin as one of the Eight Wonders of Kansas History through the Kansas Sampler Foundation.

Gloria and Rise are both graduates of Lebanon High School. The biggest day of the year is Memorial weekend when the Kanza House is open on Saturday for visitors. Most are graduates of the school and spouses.

A few famous people’s pictures grace the walls of the Kanza House. Actor Fatty Arbuckle, born north of Lebanon, was a silent film star and member of the Keystone Cops.

Sharon Black became involved in the Kanza House because her father grew up in Lebanon. She also was a co-writer of the television movie script Home on the Range, which has Lebanon connections. Sharleen Holthus.

Both buildings were moved from their original location in 1906 to their current locations. The last high school building and community hall were built in 1924 making them 100 years old!

The town of Lebanon is far-reaching as well. As the center of the contiguous United States, it is the center of attention. National news has come to film events. Singer Bruce Springsteen filmed at the chapel at the Center Monument. A television series, Supernatural, used Lebanon as a place of a bunker. It is ironic that part of The Bunker Hotel still stands.

Sharon Black

Sharon Black has been writing for many years including newspapers, short stories, and as a publisher. She was born in Nebraska and has lived in Kansas most of her life. In her hometown of Smith Center, Kansas,  Willa Cather’s hometown is to the north and Bob Dole’s hometown is to the south. Sharon is a press release writer for the National Parks Arts Foundation and writes for b U n e k e  magazine. The biggest project she has accomplished is the co-writer of the TV movie Home on the Range. The movie is about the song, which is the state song of Kansas and the lawsuit surrounding it in the 1930s and finding the rightful author of the song. Sharon is distantly related to the Mississippi writer Eudora Welty.