Established in 1976, as Northern Irelands contribution to the American bicentenary, the Folk Park has been constructed around the original homestead of Thomas Mellon, who as a 5 year old boy had emigrated with his parents to Western Pennsylvania.
Since its opening in July 1976 the Park has grown rapidly and with the addition of a number of original exhibit buildings, the museum now represents the broad spectrum of 18th and 19th century emigration from Ulster to America.