Group of people socializing indoors, some engaged in conversation, with artwork on the wall and a window in the background.
Interior of a wooden banquet hall with round tables, chairs, a stone fireplace, ceiling fans, chandeliers, and windows with curtains, decorated for an event.
Historical black and white photo of a four-story brick woman's building on Mount Sequoyah near Fayetteville, Arkansas, with several windows and a central arched entrance.
A handcrafted nature scene with artificial trees, moss, and mushrooms in a wooden frame, featuring butterflies and moss decorating the display.

History of Mount Sequoyah

Founded in 1922 by the Methodist Church’s South Central Jurisdiction as a summer retreat, spiritual center, and faith-based training facility west of the Mississippi River, Mount Sequoyah began with a commitment from the City of Fayetteville of 400 acres. While the dates for major construction at Mount Sequoyah range from 1924 to 1989, most of what we see today was built from 1927 to 1965. The Rev. Sam Yancey, who served as superintendent from 1927 to 1950, oversaw the construction of several cottages, Clapp Auditorium, Yancey Lodge, Vesper Point, the Cross at Overlook Park, and the campus walkways. A key figure of what one writer calls the “Golden Years” of Mount Sequoyah, Yancey was a tireless advocate who traveled far and wide to promote awareness of the retreat. In 1940, he proudly reported to the Board of Trustees that the Assembly had, for the first time in its history, been able to pay all its bills when they came due. For context, his proposed general fund budget for 1941 was $15,810 — a figure that included expenses for “telephone and telegraph.” The budget exceeds $2.3 million annually now.

A Natural Retreat

While the physical presence of Mount Sequoyah is defined in large part by its more than 40 structures, the diverse natural beauty of the grounds also contributes to the center’s enduring appeal. The founders intended it to be that way — a landscape architect was employed when the center was first laid out, and Harry and Stella Ware, memorialized by a plaque at the Cottage Circle gazebo, donated sugar maples in 1922. Today, an array of trees and flowers explode with color and fragrance each spring, and in the fall the changing leaves are picturesque. Mount Sequoyah remains adorned with maples, oaks, hickories, dogwoods, crepe myrtles, roses, lilies, jonquils, and azaleas.

A New Era

By 2010, church business had fallen from 100 percent to just 17 percent of Mount Sequoyah’s annual business. The Methodist Church had also become concerned about the liability exposure of owning a property it rarely used for traditional purposes. As the Church considered what to do with the property, the future of Mount Sequoyah became uncertain.

In June of 2016, the interim CEO received a letter from the College of Bishops proposing to transfer ownership of the center and property to the Mount Sequoyah Board of Trustees. The Board immediately agreed to the plan. In a matter of five weeks, the necessary documents were drafted, the Board approved, and the transfer was presented to the South Central Jurisdiction. In July of 2016, 300 members of the Jurisdiction voted to transfer ownership and control of the property to a newly formed secular nonprofit: Mount Sequoyah Center, Inc., a fully independent organization. Mount Sequoyah entered a new era. When Covid hit, the team faced yet another new reality. In the face of significant change, they found creative ways to ensure that Mount Sequoyah continued to provide impactful service to our community and the Creative Spaces programs were born.

Between 2020 and today, Mount Sequoyah has continued to evolve to provide award-winning youth camps, recreation and wellness programming, the Creative Spaces arts ecosystem, home to over 50 practicing artists’ studios and countless workshops and classes. At the same time, we remain a beloved gathering and lodging space for individuals and organizations throughout the area.

The overlook at Mount Sequoyah remains on many top lists of free places to see in Fayetteville. Whether you want to catch the sunset, watch the city wake up, or enjoy the night lights dotting the landscape, the Mount Sequoyah overlook provides a wonderful spot to find peace and quiet not far from downtown Fayetteville.

100 Years of Mount Sequoyah

In 1922, the City of Fayetteville rang the bells at midnight to announce that Mount Sequoyah had been selected as the site for the Methodist Church’s regional retreat center. One hundred years later, in 2022 and 2023, Mount Sequoyah celebrated that centennial with a full year of community programming — and we thought you might enjoy a look back at how we marked it.

The celebration kicked off on March 15, 2023, with area churches and organizations ringing their own bells at 2:22 pm alongside Mount Sequoyah’s historic bell tower. From there, the centennial year included an Easter Sunrise Service at Vesper Point, a homecoming reunion for anyone who grew up attending church events on the mountain, and a weekend celebrating couples who were engaged, married, or made special memories together at Mount Sequoyah.

Community partners joined in throughout the year as well: NWA Equality hosted a Pride event on the mountain, a chamber music festival premiered a piece commissioned specifically for the centennial, and our Marlins swim teams marked the occasion with commemorative 100-yard swims. The celebration closed out with an end-of-summer carnival for Camp Sequoyah campers and the public, a homecoming-themed weekend with a sock hop and tailgate party, a Dia de los Muertos observance, and the second annual Festival of Trees in historic Parker Hall.