Central Park, 3155 Parkwood Drive, Gaylord Parkway at Parkwood Drive

Located southwest of the old community of Lebanon on the high ground of Preston Ridge, shallow wells were dug by hand on the down slope of the ridge. It was unusual to find two wells located side by side as these were, but since settlers found their water near the surface they probably decided to double the volume of water by digging two wells. It is said that The Twin Wells became a favorite watering place for the cattle on the Shawnee/Preston Trail and provided a good place for them to bed down for the night while their trail bosses and cowboys found a “watering hole” of their own at one of Lebanon’s saloons.

The story that really makes The Twin Wells famous has been told, retold and handed down through some of the founding families of the Lebanon area until it has become something of a legend. There are several versions of the story, but the best one goes like this: At the turn of the 20th century a band of outlaws robbed a bank south of Lebanon and their loot was in gold bullion. The robbers fled on horseback following the Preston Trail northward and darkness helped them evade the law. Rumor has it that the outlaws decided to bury the gold and lay low for a while until things cooled down. Word got out that they had buried the loot between two wells and some Lebanon residents recalled seeing lantern lights in the vicinity of the wells on the night of the robbery. A daylight check of the area revealed that the ground around the wells had indeed been dug up…by someone. Was it the robbers or was it someone who had watched them bury it? It is said that lantern lights could be seen for some time as people continued to dig under the cloak of darkness. Then some of the locals remembered another location that had another set of wells fairly close together so they dug there too.

If anyone ever found the gold it was a well kept secret. Was it gold bullion or just plain bull? That’s the story of The Twin Wells and while they no longer exist they are commemorated along with the Shawnee Trail cattle drives at Central Park.