THE STORY
Reported Haunting
Murphy-area folklore tells of the Moon-Eyed People, a mysterious nocturnal population said to have lived near the Hiwassee and Valley rivers. The story has many competing interpretations and is presented here strictly as regional folklore.
The Moon-Eyed People are a longstanding regional legend associated with the Murphy area and the confluence of the Hiwassee and Valley rivers. Modern retellings describe a small, pale, nocturnal people who supposedly lived in the region before the Cherokee. The legend is interpreted locally on Murphy's River Walk and a carved figure associated with it is displayed at the Cherokee County Historical Museum.