The Center of the Continguous United States

In 1918, the U.S. Geological Survey declared 39° 50' N by 98° 35' W to be the Center of the Nation.

This point is located in a field north of Lebanon, Kansas.

In the 1940s, the local Hub Club developed a park for the Center in a more convenient location.

Highway 191, the shortest highway in the state, was built to connect the main road to the park.

A chapel on site brings a spiritual heart to the place.

A motel was built there in the 1950s.

It was soon abandoned.

Two miles south of the monument, the town of Lebanon is a former agricultural community, with a sleepy downtown.

The nearby town of Smith Center has the closest active motel for visitors to the Center.

Water towers and other agricultural structures in the area express the character of the region.

An old cabin where the song Home on the Range was written is a nearby landmark.

In the other direction is Cawker City, home of the world’s largest ball of twine.