Vernon was first settled, the Goshen Road made a wide arc across Jefferson County, crossing Casey Creek and the Big Muddy north of Mt.

It passed through, or near, what are now Opdyke, East Salem, Idlewood, Dix and Walnut Hill.

In 1820–1821, Ben Hood and Carter Wilkey built a bridge over Casey Creek, to the southeast of town.

Joshua left behind several daughters and one son, Angus McNeil Grant, who soon became important in the development of the town.

"Upon his arrival, there were but four or five houses in the place, and from that time to the present (1883) he has constantly and ably exerted himself in securing to it the full development of its resources."

[7] There were three divisions total comprised for the first (southern), second (central) and third (northern) areas of the state.

When the Supreme Court was in session, the important lawyers in Illinois, including Abraham Lincoln, gathered in Mt.

Vernon Inn, owned by Angus McNeil Grant and his in-laws, the Andersons.

Vernon Car Manufacturing Company opened in 1889 after moving from Litchfield, Illinois.

The Louisville and Nashville Railroad hauled in some 1,900 carloads of supplies for reconstruction of the town.

Around 1939, a portion of the car shops was purchased by Precision Engineering, which originally built components for locomotives.

Today, the plant thrives as a hub for National Railway Equipment Company[10] which rebuilds and services diesel electric locomotives for rail lines across the globe.

In 1954, the car shops closed, causing a temporary jump in unemployment throughout the city and the 108 communities called "home" by its former employees.

The concurrency of I-57 and I-64 is along the western border of the ridgeline which divides the Big Muddy River and Casey Creek.

The stack interchange on the southwest side of town complements the historic Casey Creek bridges, allowing much shorter travel times through the swamps to the east and south.

In April 2007, Mount Vernon voters elected the first female mayor[11] of the city, Mary Jane Chesley.

Vernon is located on high ground between Casey Creek and the Big Muddy River, which join south of the town in what is now Rend Lake.

A ridge ran between the Big Muddy River and Casey Creek north toward what is now Dix.

Vernon from which one can see the town as a forested point of high ground jutting out into the bottoms.

Accommodation and food services (restaurants) are the highest employer with 1,146 estimated jobs.

It is maintained and published by Illinois State Police (ISP)[20] 2019[21] 2020[22] 2021[23] 2022/2023[24] Mount Vernon hosts a 48-acre (190,000 m2) facility for Continental Tire the Americas.

It is also home to major distribution centers for NAPA, National Railway Equipment (NREC), ALCO and IPT (subsidiaries of NREC), along with many other smaller industries which are located in or in close proximity to the city's three industrial parks.

[26] Pepsi has built a new service and distribution center that was completed in March 2011, it is located off of the Davidson Avenue extension.

The Cedarhurst Craft Fair[31] is held yearly in early September on the grounds.

In addition to its programs on property, the Mitchell Museum is located on the Cedarhurst grounds.

The city is host to an event the first Saturday of each month from April through October called Market Days.

There is also the Jefferson County Historical Museum and Village located within incorporated Mount Vernon.

The Museum and the Village reflect life in Jefferson County from the mid 19th century to more recent years.

[34] Beatles guitarist George Harrison bought a guitar from Fenton's Music store in Mt.