Lebanon, Kansas: Geographical Center of the 48 States

The ultimate fallback position in case we're attacked by Canada, Mexico, and the Fish People from the Atlantic and Pacific. Featured as America's divide-healing center in Bruce Springsteen's 2021 Super Bowl commercial.

Something to do. Middle of fields. Marked signs off highway.

My mother and I visited 8/22/16. I loved it! The site is very nicely kept up and landscaped. There are picnic tables, a tiny chapel that seats eight people, the marker, and a flag memorial. This is the kind of place I like to see; it has significance and is not overrun. We went into the town of Lebanon, to a market store that sells souvenirs, and the people were so nice.

Twenty-three years ago my wife and I stumbled on this spot on our way home to L.A. from Ohio after getting married. This summer we returned with our daughter to show her the glories of Kansas. My, how the spot has changed over the years! The first time we stopped, the Center chapel was on a little trailer; now it is a solid building on a foundation. There is a picnic shelter, not just a picnic table, and of course the trees are taller. On a day with a mild temperature, it could be a lovely place for lunch. The view, of course, hasn't changed much. The spot is still in the middle of farm fields that spread out as far as you can see.

The chapel has been rebuilt, and a flagpole was added to the monument. If you're nearby, it's well worth the stop. A historical marker has been added about three miles away on Hwy 36. It doesn't say why it wasn't added at the actual site.