<P> An American flag usually flies atop a pole placed on the monument . A covered picnic area and small four - pew chapel are nearby . </P> <P> In 1918, the Coast and Geodetic Survey found this location by balancing on a point a cardboard cutout shaped like the U.S. This method was accurate to within 20 miles, but while the Geodetic Survey no longer endorses any location as the center of the U.S., the identification of Lebanon, Kansas, has remained . </P>

What's the center of the united states