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The Forgotten New Street
By Eric Tudor
When the Frisco Railroad rolled into town in 1868, it didn’t just bring trains – it brought transformation.
As tracks cut through the countryside, a whole new version of Lebanon began to take shape. Businesses, quite literally, packed up and moved – hauling their wood-frame buildings nearly two miles from what we now call “Old Town” (off Harwood Avenue) to be closer to the action. The old Main Street? Left behind. In its place, Commercial Street was born – a name chosen not just out of hope, but intention. They believed it would become the heartbeat of commerce in Lebanon… and they were absolutely right.
Commercial & Jefferson soon became the town’s central hub. But here’s the part history tends to forget: there was another street. One that’s barely remembered today. It was simply called “New Street.”
Now, New Street wasn’t your average road. Back in the late 1800s to early 1900s, many buildings along Commercial were cleverly built with two business fronts – one facing Commercial and another facing the rear. Entrepreneurs knew how to make the most of their space, often renting out the back half or upper floors to other businesses. Business was booming, but access was tricky – so the city created New Street to accommodate the growth.
And it wasn’t just a back alley – it had a life of its own. Shops popped up along the north side of New Street, including:
- The Westernhouse Hotel, once nestled at New Street & Madison Ave
- A bustling Livestock Auction Barn behind today’s Vacuum & Sewing Center and Lebanon Art Guild
- Horse tack shops, furniture dealers, brick and lumber yards
- Even a Granite & Marble Works for custom gravestones!
Oh, and let’s not forget – it also played host to an early newspaper office, laying the groundwork for the journalism that kept Lebanon informed for decades.
So the next time you’re enjoying our vibrant downtown, surrounded by coffee shops, boutiques, and art galleries, take a moment to imagine what once stood just a few steps behind those storefronts. Beneath our feet and behind our buildings lies New Street – a forgotten path that quietly shaped 165 years of Lebanon’s story.
