Through a series of events set in motion by England's King James in the early 1600s, the Scot-Irish would become the prominent settlers in the Great Smokies. In an effort to subdue the Irish through infiltration, King James encouraged Scots to settle in Ulster. Suffering famine, religious persecution and inescapable poverty, many Ulster-Scots fled Northern Ireland for the new world. In the decades that followed, others would follow to avoid the swift brutality of British political repression.

The Ulster-Scots came to America aboard trading ships carrying flax from Belfast to Philadelphia. Once in the new world, many headed south through the Cumberland Gap and ended up in the highlands of Western North Carolina.

They brought with them a democratic spirit, simple Calvinist beliefs and a love for the mountains reminiscent of their homeland.

Like the native Cherokee, their beliefs, arts, crafts, music and dance proved to be lasting influences on mountain culture.

Some historians say the Ulster-Scots settled in the mountains because it was so isolated; others believe it was because it reminded them of the Highlands they left behind.