Mount Vernon Academy opened its doors in 1893 to thirty-two students and six staff members with professor William T. Bland as Principal. However, by the end of the first year the enrollment had grown to about one hundred. The school opened in buildings previously occupied by Mount Vernon Sanitarium, which had closed in 1891. Ellen G. White, when consulted, had written in 1893:

"Let the building converted into a seminary to educate our youth in the place of enlarging the college at Battle Creek. I have been shown that there should...be located, school buildings in Ohio which would give character to the work"

The day after this letter was written, J. N. Loughborough submitted a report to the General Conference in session advising the same action. Upon General Conference recommendations, the stockholders of the sanitarium voted to adopt this recommendation and to form a new corporation for the management of the Academy.

After operating on the secondary level for twelve years, the school was advanced from an academy to a college. During the next eleven years, Mount Vernon College offered four-year courses leading to the B.S. and B.A. degrees. Secondary work also continued during this time. Norris W. Lawrence served as the first president of D.C., was made the training college for the Columbia Union, and the school at Mount Vernon reverted back to an academy.

The building which presently houses the chapel, the English department, and several offices was built in 1924. On December 24, 1926, the old sanitarium building, which was the main campus building for many years, was destroyed by fire. As partial replacement, Linden Hall, the girls' dormitory, was erected in 1927-1928. In 1940, Hadley Hall, the Boys' dormitory, was built. The gymnasium was completed in 1951, and in 1958, the industrial arts building. In 1968, Hiawatha Hall, which includes the cafeteria, classrooms, and administrative offices, was built. While the campus has changed considerably through the years, the purpose of Mount Vernon Academy has not: to provide quality Christian education.

Mount Vernon Academy is located near the geographic center of Ohio just 50 minutes from the capital city of Columbus. Mount Vernon, Ohio's "Colonial City," is nestled in gently rolling hills, offering a semi-rural atmosphere. The campus is located on State Route 3 two miles northeast of Mount Vernon, a city of 15,000 residents. Mount Vernon Academy is owned and operated by the Ohio Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, which is also located in Mount Vernon. MVA has as its purpose to provide Seventh-day Adventist Christian education at the secondary level for the young people of the church in Ohio or for any young person desiring a conservative Christian education.

Taken from the Mount Vernon Academy 1997-98 handbook.