High Hampton’s Historic Brookside Estate

Sparked by a college friendship, The Brookside Estate in High Hampton has been a cherished family retreat and an important venue for a variety of functions that are now part of Cashiers’ history for more than a quarter-century. The owner, philanthropist Deen Day Sanders, recently listed the property for sale, including its furnishings and fixtures, which represent a lifetime of curation across the country and the world.

Deen attended Mercer University in Macon, GA, where she met Barbara Castleberry (later Dr. Barbara Carlton), president of the Alpha Delta Phi sorority. During the fall 1951 pledge drive, Deen chose ADPi, and now, more than seventy years later, Deen and Barbara remain very close friends.

Both are incredibly accomplished professionals and share a zest for living that defied mid-century expectations for women. In 1953, along with two sorority sisters, they traveled in Barbara’s 1949 black Ford sedan, driving more than 2,500 pre-interstate miles to attend the National Convention of ADPi in Banff Springs, Canada. The car was a gift from Barbara’s parents to recognize her acceptance into medical school, and they wasted no time putting it to good use.

At the convention, they met their friend and ADPi sister, Neva Jane Langley (later Fickling), Miss America 1953, who was a guest speaker. Before returning home, Barbara and Deen accepted Neva’s invitation to join her in California, accompanying her on some of her official duties and visiting several movie studios.

But while she was on the trip, Cecil Day, whom she was dating, called her with an ultimatum to marry him or “forget it.” He had joined the Marines and wanted her to join him at Parris Island, SC. Deen promptly returned home and eloped with Cecil. From a freewheeling coed, her life transformed when she moved to Camp Lejeune, NC, settled into being a military wife, and later into motherhood, with Cecil promising her that he and the good Lord would support them.

Their shared values of financial independence and hard work paid off. Cecil graduated from Georgia Tech in 1958, and Deen graduated from Georgia State in 1961. Cecil became a successful businessman and founded Day Realty and the Days Inn of America motel chain. The financial success of Days Inn made Deen’s lifelong dream of traveling the world a reality; she currently counts around 50 to 60 countries she has visited, many of them as President of The Garden Club of Georgia, Inc. (1987-1989), President of National Garden Clubs, Inc. (1999-2001) and Vice President of the World Association of Flower Arrangers, USA, (2008-2011).

Sadly, Deen lost Cecil to cancer at the young age of 44. Though Deen would marry again, her second husband, Charles Smith, would also succumb to cancer. Widowed for a second time, her lifelong friend Barbara persuaded her to make her summer home on the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau. She suggested that Deen consider property near the Carlton family’s, but Deen insisted she had grandchildren, “always needing stitches,” and preferred to be near medical facilities.

Deen successfully interviewed the former owner of High Hampton Club, William McKee, “Mr. Will.”  Within three days, she purchased property with an existing home and a brook running through it. Tim Greene, a prominent local architect, redesigned and built an addition to the existing home, with Virginia White as the interior decorator. Both understood Deen’s dual purpose. She wanted a home designed to host grand events for the organizations she and others support. But at the same time, her deeply personal goal was to create a spacious mountain retreat where her entire family could enjoy their time together.

Having already spent decades perfecting Bellmere, her estate outside Atlanta, Deen was patient and understood that engaging the best artisans would take time. Initially estimated to take about two years, it was nearly three before the project was completed to her satisfaction.

Deen wanted only the best materials for construction and décor. She and Greene carefully considered the interior space they were creating and how it would integrate with the surrounding land. The sound of the stream flowing through the property makes relaxing or entertaining on the enclosed back porch a classic mountain feature. Deen commissioned a bronze eagle statue from sculptor Clydetta Fulmer for installation as a visual enhancement outside her bedroom window, overlooking the mountain brook and a peaceful waterfall. The traditional wood floors feature pegs instead of nails and the stonework, inside and out, is stacked, not mortared, with each stone individually selected. Every rug is a custom American masterpiece, manufactured by world-renowned Aimee Champion Lacey, a pioneer in the rug-tufting industry. Deen enjoyed visiting the Lacey-Champion Rug plant in north Georgia to see her rugs "designed" on the looms as they were handcrafted; each was perfectly fitted to its space and to match the room's decor.

Deen recalls having B & L Antiques and Restoration replicate an existing cabinet beside the fireplace in the great room to balance the space. She commissioned Lynwood Hall to paint the Brookside mountain scene now hanging above the entry into the great room.

Local real estate Broker Brenda Beye listed the home. She describes it as having eight bedrooms and 13 baths, making it well-suited for large family gatherings. A popular family pastime was garden picnics by the stream, where children could play outside, enjoy the brook, and slide down the mountain rocks. The large, enclosed back porch capitalizes on the plateau’s world-famous Blue Ridge Mountain spring-through-fall climate.

Shortly after beginning Brookside, Deen would renew an important friendship at her 50th high school class reunion. Fellow classmate Jim Sanders was a Georgia Tech graduate and a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity, the same as Cecil. Their relationship thrived on a shared love of Georgia Tech and philanthropy. Deen soon married her third husband, Jim. They combined two large families – Deen with five children and 16 grandchildren, and Jim with four children and eight grandchildren.

Together, Deen and Jim made Brookside a welcome retreat for their families and friends and a popular event venue for local nonprofits and other worthy organizations. The estate was selected not once, but twice for the Joy Garden Tour. This annual event provided funding to preserve and enhance Cashiers' history and promote environmental stewardship.

Deen enjoyed an active life at High Hampton Resort and served on numerous community committees. Jim enjoyed playing golf at High Hampton with Colony Club friends and guests until his passing in 2024.

Though widowed three times and living longer than two of her five children, Deen remains an optimist whose day begins with prayer.  A stroke has left her partially paralyzed, but she still dedicates herself daily to 30 laps around the staircase at Bellmere with her walker. She is also active in overseeing her family’s properties, investments, and philanthropy.

Deen knows tragedy and triumph in the most personal terms, and without a hint of regret, she continues to live her life to the fullest in service to God, her family, and her community. She relies on God and trusts Him to meet all her needs, as He has, throughout her long life of 92 years.