The Methodist EpiscopalChurch founded Mount Sequoyah as its retreat center in 1922.
Background: The property also has ties to the Chautauqua cultural and educational movement of the early 20th century that encouraged traveling speakers and performers.
The site hosted playwright retreats, for example, Gentry said.
What happened: In 2016, the church gave the property to what is now a board that owns and operates it. Mount Sequoyah is a nonprofit and no longer has a religious affiliation.
It's funded by donations and fees from rentals and events. If it sells any property through 2031, the money must go to the church, per the original contract — an incentive for it to be a community space instead of being sold to businesses.
The city owns and operates the trails.
The intrigue: Mount Sequoyah for decades served an eight-state region of Methodists and had no-trespassing signs — and, often, closed gates.
For less than a decade that included a pandemic, it's been a community gathering space that seeks to primarily serve Northwest Arkansas residents and tourists, keeping the same buildings as when it was a private Methodist retreat.
