Pre Civil War
The original homesite was built by a local Brevard doctor, name and date unknown.
Judge James Adger Forsythe Jr. purchased the property. He was a county Judge from Charleston, SC who moved to Brevard to recover from “consumption.”
1877
1926
George Morris. He and J.H.Townsend of Memphis, TN, purchased the property and built the original summer camp, named it Camp Chickasaw, which was a camp for boys.
The property was sold to Robert J. Hussey, a Memphis cotton broker and was operated by Mrs. Swift from Asheville. Mrs. Swift had previously operated a summer camp called Camp Dellwood and in an effort to continue to use her camp songs, she renamed this property to Camp Deerwoode, and changed it to a summer camp for girls.
1935
1939
Gordon Sprott purchased the property and operated Camp Deerwoode for Girls until 1957. In 1953, they moved to the property permanently and built the contemporary home at the top of the swim pond and lived there full time.
Mr. Sprott brought camp back and managed sports camps, and then reverted the camp back to a boys camp, and kept the name Camp Deerwoode.
1959
1966
Gordon was looking to sell the camp and was traveling in Texas and met Bill & Elizabeth Mayes. The Mayes made a deal with Gordon to work at the camp and purchase it in two years. Bill traveled to Brevard, NC in the fall of 1966 to help Gordon get the property ready for camp and to recruit boys for the summer of 1967. Elizabeth and their two boys joined Bill in Brevard in 1967.
Bill & Elizabeth Mayes finalized the purchase of the property. They owned & operated Camp Deerwoode for Boys until closing camp after the summer session of 1991. They lived on the property and raised their sons here.
1969
1991
The Mayes transformed the property into a fitness facility & gym membership as well as a vacation rental business, called Deerwoode Lodge & Cabins. They retired and closed all business operations at the end of 2018. The Mayes listed the property for sale in 2020.
Scott & Dionne Hodgson purchased the property in April and re-opened it as a short-term vacation rental business, under the new name Deerwoode Reserve.
2021
