Harbert Hills Academy was chartered as a non-profit corporation in 1950. The founder, William E. Patterson, had attended Fletcher Academy as a young man and determined that someday he would start a school like the one that he had attended. After retiring from federal government work, he then went to work for Madison College in Madison, Tennessee. Some time later, Patterson began to look for a location to start a school. After searching Hardin County, he went to talk with local judge Harbert who ended up donating the land to begin Harbert Hills Academy. Thus, Patterson's dream had become a reality. A core group of Madison College students came in the time period between 1952 to 1954, camping out, clearing land, and constructing the first buildings here on campus. In 1956, the first students arrived and school began. Since 1956, hundreds of students have come and gone at Harbert Hills Academy. They have taken with them a practical education, and have moved on to become teachers, doctors, lawyers, craftsmen, and ministers. They are serving the cause of Christ in many capacities around the world.
