According to Cherokee lore, the mysterious moon-eyed people were a race of small, white-skinned people who lived in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee.
The Cherokee people claimed that they encountered these beings upon their arrival in the region and eventually drove them out. Some versions of the story suggest the moon-eyed people were a rare Native American subgroup forced to be nocturnal due to their sensitivity to sunlight.
One of the most famous connections to this legend is Fort Mountain in Georgia, where a mysterious stone structure stands. Some believe the moon-eyed people built these stone forts to protect against other native peoples before disappearing.
The Cherokee County Historical Museum contains references to this legend, helping to keep the story alive in regional folklore.
