It originated with the Society of Friends in Bloomingdale, Indiana, and remained a strictly denominational organization throughout its entire existence, never having received public money.

Though it continued to be controlled by the Quarterly Meeting of Friends, no distinction was made between students with respect to religious beliefs.

The socialistic system was rampant, communities were being organized, and manual labor schools had many enthusiastic advocates.

Harvey Thomas, a well known educator of Pennsylvania, having conceived the idea of establishing a manual labor school somewhere in the west, came out to Parke County, Indiana, and found a promising field for such an enterprise and attentive listeners to his economic plans.

[6] The buildings were extensive and commodius, and presented a handsome appearance located in the midst of the campus, in the shade of forest trees.

Soon after establishment, it was soon discovered that the manual labor school system, which was very good in theory, was not at all practicable on the small scale tried in Bloomingdale, so it was abandoned, the name of the school changed to the Friends' Bloomingdale Academy, and the land, with the exception of 15 acres (6.1 ha) which then formed the campus of the academy, was sold.

[4] The school was in charge of a committee appointed by the Western Quarterly Meeting of Friends, of which James Siler, Exam Morris, William Pickard, Solomon Allen, and Alfred Hadley were the most prominent members and were reappointed for years.Harvey Thomas, the first principal, had charge of the Manual Training School until it was changed to the academy.

Some of the principals who followed Professor Hobbs are: John Chawner, Seth Hasby, Thomas A. Armstrong, Josiah Edwards, D. N. Dannis, 1884; Hiram Hadley, 1885; A. F. Mitchell, 1888, and Caroline M. Hill, 1910.