Mount Vernon’s Public Square includes a monument to Civil War veterans. (Credit: Ken Drenten)

By Ken Drenten

Mount Vernon is one of those places that forces you to take notice of it. Motorists and truckers know it well as a town that has no access to the interstate freeway system, and no bypass to get around it.

Instead, one must drive through the city, since five state highways — State Routes 3, 13, 36, 229 and 586 — all converge like spokes on a wheel within its limits.

This forces the motorist to travel through a beautifully renovated downtown area and lovely Public Square with a park-like roundabout that has outlets in four directions. And that’s not a bad thing.

Mount Vernon is the county seat of Knox County, which was established in 1808, named for Revolutionary War hero, Gen. Henry Knox.

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Mount Vernon was platted along the Kokosing River in 1805 and named after George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate. It became a village in 1830, a town in 1845 and a city in 1880. The city has a population of about 17,000 according to the 2020 census.

There are four National Historic Districts in the central city area that include buildings that go back to the 1850s. The Greek Revival-style Knox County Courthouse was built in 1855-56, and the Woodward Opera House, built in 1851, is the oldest theatre house still standing in the United States.

Round Hill House, built in 1851, is on the National Register of Historic Places, located at E. Pleasant and N. McKenzie streets.

There’s also a playful new splash in the downtown area — the South Main Plaza Dog Fountain, installed in 2019, features colorful dogs with water spouting from their mouths. There are painted cast aluminum sculptures of 18 dogs, one cat, two pairs of birds, a pony and an apple. The fountain, 201 S. Main St., has become a must-visit for kids wanting to splash around and for selfie-seekers as well.

The popular South Main Plaza Dog Fountain makes a splash in downtown Mount Vernon. (Credit: Ken Drenten)

Mount Vernon is also home to Mount Vernon Nazarene University, founded in 1968. The university’s undergraduate and graduate enrollment in 2024 was just over 2,000 students.

Notable people in Mount Vernon’s history include:

John Chapman (1774-1845), “Johnny Appleseed,” who reportedly voted in the town’s first election, around 1806, and owned land in Mount Vernon. A marker at Phillips and Main streets identifies the site of Chapman’s earliest known land holdings. He bought Mount Vernon town lot 147 (where the marker stands today) and lot 145 (located just across the road) from Joseph Walker on Sept. 14, 1809. 

Daniel Decatur Emmett (1815-1904), songwriter and entertainer, was born in Mount Vernon. He is most well-known for composing the song “Dixie,” made famous during the Civil War. He also composed “Old Dan Tucker,” “Turkey in the Straw,” and “Blue Tail Fly,” all popular in the 19th century and early 20th century.

Paul Lynde (1926-1982), comedian and actor, was born in Mount Vernon and graduated in 1944 from Mount Vernon High School. Lynde appeared in many television shows and movies including “Bewitched” and “Bye, Bye Birdie,” and is perhaps best known for his witty comments in appearances on the game show “Hollywood Squares.”

Ken Drenten is creator and editor of Dusty-Tires.com, a travel blog for out-of-the-ordinary places in Ohio.

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