Welcoming Winter With the Ski and Ride Club
December 2, 2025
60 years in the making
A Look at DCA's History
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 (NKJV)
Great achievements often require time to develop. Initially, solid groundwork is laid. Subsequently, through a process of learning from mistakes, enduring challenges, and gaining experience, it evolves into something remarkable.
This year marked a significant milestone for Dublin Christian Academy, as we commemorated our 60th anniversary. It’s a momentous occasion that invites us to reflect on the six-decade journey that has shaped DCA into the institution as it stands today.
A New-Found Faith and a Seed Planted
Our story begins in Rhode Island in the 1940s, with a wealthy industrialist named F. Nelson Blount and his wife, Ruth.
Very early in his life, Nelson became a millionaire due to the amazing success of his enterprise, the Blount Seafood Corporation. As he mentions in his testimony, “On the Right Track”, he had everything an aspiring entrepreneur could have dreamed of:
“I attained my first goal by the time I was 30: I was a millionaire. I had a $100,000 yacht, a couple of airplanes, and almost everything that people dream about. For a hobby, I began to collect locomotives (I now have over 80 of them).”
In the world’s eyes, Nelson was on the fast track to living the American dream. However, when tragedy struck, he and his wife Ruth had to re-evaluate what was truly important in life:
“Shortly after I came home from a trip abroad, a telephone call came. “Your wife has been in a serious accident!” I was told that she probably would not live through the night and if she did, she would never walk again. I was not a born-again Christian although I was a church member and a deacon, and had attended Sunday School and church all my life. Nevertheless, that night I did a lot of praying.”
It took seven operations before Ruth could go home. During her recovery, she and Nelson spent considerable time talking about what truly could make them happy in life. One night, after watching a Billy Graham program, Nelson found himself in tears as God began to work on his heart.
A seed had been planted.
After being warmly evangelized to by a new friend, Ted DeMoss, and going to a pivotal church service with him, Nelson decided it was time to give his life over to Jesus Christ:
“When [the sermon] was all over, I felt as clean as the driven snow. God had heard and answered our prayers. I had yielded to Him and trusted Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour, and God had given me eternal life and the assurance of sins forgiven. What a glorious fact, and what a glorious feeling!”
Nelson and his family (all of whom would become Christians) left the fast pace of Rhode Island behind and purchased a farm in Southwestern New Hampshire. From here, our story continues.
From Dairy Farm to Christian School
In 1954, the Blount family purchased Staghead Farm in Dublin, New Hampshire. Country life was exactly what Nelson needed to focus his attention on his family and his newfound faith.
Nelson quickly got to work expanding the farm in both livestock and acreage. About 80 cows, 3,000 chickens, and horses for each of his children graced the property. The original 400 acres of farmland were expanded to about 1,000. Always a man of hard work, Nelson frequently labored alongside the hired hands with all the more enthusiasm.
With the farm in full swing and the Blount family enjoying the transformative relocation, Nelson and Ruth as new Christians still desired something for their children—a fine Christian education in the region. Their daughter, Caroline attended a crowded Christian school in Maine, and Nelson was further encouraged to find a suitable location for a school in the Monadnock Region.
Through much prayer, family meetings, and movings of the Holy Spirit, the Blounts decided to donate Staghead Farm to the Lord to be used as a school. Shortly after Nelson contacted Harold Duff of Christian School, Inc. about his idea, Harold received a letter from a Florida pastor by the name of Melvin Moody. Mel felt the Lord was leading him to move to New Hampshire to be involved in Christian education and wanted to know if there were any openings for such a position. His brother Leon and sister-in-law Barabara joined the call to found a Christian school in New Hampshire. The rest is, well…history.
With the donation of the farm from the Blounts and the sponsorship of Christian Schools, Inc., Mel Moody became the school director with his wife, Donna teaching, Leon serving as principal, and Barbara providing administrative support. In the summer of 1964, Dublin Christian Academy was dedicated.
From Boarding School to PreK-12 Day School
Staghead Farm not only transformed from a working dairy and chicken farm to a school but from a boarding school to primarily a day school as we know it today.
When DCA was founded in 1964, it initially served as a boarding school for high schoolers. At the time, there were very few Christian schools in the New England area, so high school students from the entire region would live on campus while receiving their education.
Over time, as the number of Christian schools grew in New England and the use of technology enabled more virtual and homeschooling opportunities, DCA shifted to serving students specifically from the Monadnock Region. Along with this significant change, the curriculum continued to expand beyond solely the high school level—DCA now offers schooling from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade.
Even with this dramatic “shift in the gears”, Dublin Christian Academy retained its boarding school ministry and still stayed true to its roots by preserving the founders’ spirit. In doing so, we can actively seek moments to build personal relationships with students beyond the academic realm and to guide them through mentorship.
Recent “History” That Strengthened Today’s DCA
Nelson and Ruth Blount indeed encountered numerous hurdles before founding Dublin Christian Academy in 1964. Nonetheless, their steadfast belief in God empowered them to surmount difficulties that arose in their personal and professional endeavors.
In more recent history, our world had to cope with our own challenges—primarily the long-lasting effects of COVID-19 in our homes and communities. While many schools and businesses were seeing closures and moves to remote instruction, DCA had an opportunity to thrive during the pandemic.
When students’ classrooms were brought to families’ living rooms through remote learning, parents were able to get a first-hand look into the classroom. They didn’t necessarily like what they saw and heard. Along with lower quality of instruction than they expected, some were unhappy with the content of the lessons being taught, as well as the student conduct during classes. Political and social agendas were entwined in the content that superseded the subjects being taught. With this new perspective on public education, parents wanted to explore other options.
While most schools were going to a remote format during the 2020-2021 school year, DCA felt strongly that students thrive in an in-person setting, and worked closely with the NH Department of Education to make this possible while adhering to safety guidelines. We believed in keeping relational connections intact in the school to strengthen students on an educational, emotional, social, and spiritual level. This further encouraged parents to consider sending their children to DCA during the pandemic.
While keeping the parents’ decisions in mind, remote learning services were still offered for the 2020-2021 school year, although most students still learned in person. Overall, what could have been a very challenging time in our school’s history ended up being a blessing and a time of new growth.
Remembering Our Roots in the Future
From 1964 until now, Dublin Christian Academy has always kept one thing at the forefront—Bible-centered and God-honoring education.
We have made physical improvements to our campus over the years and created and expanded new programs, but the heart and spirit of DCA will always be Bible-based instruction. In an ever-changing world, the instructions in the Bible are unchanging. This is how it should be with our curriculum and how we instruct our students.
You may be wondering if the Blount family and Moody families are still involved with the school. Several children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of Mel, Donna, Leon, and Barbara still serve at or attend DCA. Nelson and Ruth’s son, Bill, is still on the board of directors for the school, and he and his wife Deb faithfully support the ministry. Bill also spoke at the commencement ceremony for DCA’s 60th class graduation this year. We are so blessed to still have the Blounts impacting our school in such a positive way all these years later.
If you would like to learn more about DCA and how your family can be a part of our time-honored foundations, please contact us to learn more.
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