In 1809, David Miller Kline came to the village of Lebanon (then called Jacksonville) and opened a General Store on what was then called the New Brunswick-to-Easton Turnpike.  He had recently completed his apprenticeship, near Oldwick, at the store owned by his uncle David Miller.

Around 1812, the State of New Jersey decided to improve and straighten the turnpike road.  In Lebanon this meant re-routing it from its existing course on what is now called Brunswick Avenue, over to what is now known as Main Street.  For David Miller Kline, this meant that doing business would be more difficult as his store was no longer on the frequently traveled turnpike.

So in 1819 he purchased a lot from Jacob and Ann Corsen which fronted the new turnpike.  Ann had inherited the lot from her father William Hoffman, whose 40 acre farm comprised the center of what today is Lebanon Borough.  The building directly to the west of the hotel is the general store that Kline built.

The first mention of the building itself comes from the Clinton Township meeting minutes of the mid-1840's which indicate that their officials occasionally met at "Kline's House".  The "Tavern Lot" as such was first sold in 1848 and to this day its dimensions are the same: "one and sixty-eight one-hundredths of an acre".

(Information Courtesy of J. G. Hauck, Lebanon Borough historian.  For more information on Lebanon Borough  and its' history visit www.lebanonboro.com)

69 Main Street     Lebanon, NJ 08833
Phone (908) 437-1300    Fax (908) 437-1303