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Introduction
The Newark Earthworks State Memorial preserves and provides public access to remnants of what was once the world's largest system of connected geometric earthworks. Owned and operated by the Ohio Historical Society (OHS), this memorial consists of three remnants of the original complete earthworks. These are identified today as: the Great Circle Earthworks, the Octagon Earthworks, and the Wright Earthworks.
All three sites are maintained to provide public access and to preserve them. The Octagon Earthworks site is leased to the Mound Builders Country Club (MBCC), and, therefore, has more limited access. Recently, some individuals and groups have expressed their desire for expanded access to the Octagon Earthworks.
The Ohio Historical Society is committed to preserving and improving public access to these noteworthy sites. Recognizing the archaeological and spiritual significance of these sites, OHS understands that there are major differences of opinion regarding issues related to the preservation and interpretation of Native American heritage. To promote dialogue about the need for continued preservation of these earthworks and for improved access to them, OHS is providing answers to frequently asked questions about these issues.
Why is it important to preserve the Newark Earthworks?
The Newark Earthworks is an important remnant of the largest system of geometric earthworks in the world. It is a place of national significance and international recognition, with spiritual connections and personal meaning for many people. It is also a place that helps people understand the prehistoric life and achievements of Native Americans.
This cultural resource offers vital opportunities for public education and research about the ancient builders and users of the earthworks (often referred to as the "Hopewell" people), Native American culture through time, and its lasting contributions. OHS is committed to helping to preserve Native American traditions, as well as identifying and protecting additional remnants of the Earthworks.
How has the Octagon Earthworks been used during the past century?
In 1933, a court-appointed trustee deeded the property preserving the Octagon State Earthworks to OHS. Prior to this transfer, the Octagon Earthworks was used by the State of Ohio as a militia encampment (1892-1908). In 1908, the property was returned to local control under the Newark Board of Trade (1908-1918). In 1910, the property was leased by the newly formed MBCC and was developed as a golf course. As a result of a Licking County Common Pleas Court case, a trustee was named to manage the property from 1918 to 1933, during which time the golf course was expanded.
Facing difficult choices caused by the limited funding available to operate its large network of historic sites, OHS has periodically renewed the Octagon Earthworks lease with MBCC. The lease has been renewed in order to continue to preserve the property until such time as funding might become available to fully restore and maintain the site. Under the current lease, which runs until 2078, MBCC maintains the site and provides services related to the care and security of the grounds and provides some public access.
What have OHS and the Mound Builders Country Club done to encourage public visitation to the Octagon Earthworks?
Under the terms of the 1922 lease between the court-appointed trustee and MBCC, public access to the site was limited to the citizens of Licking County, who were to be subject to "such reasonable rules as may be agreed upon between the lessor and the lessee." When OHS entered into its first lease with MBCC in 1938, the language was modified so that the right to visit the site was extended to the general public, but still subject to "reasonable rules" as reserved by the lessor.
Since 2000, OHS has taken a number of steps to enhance accessibility to the site. These include:
- Entering into an access agreement with MBCC
- Operating and presenting the three Newark Earthworks sites as a unified state memorial
- Improving signage at the site
- Promoting the Newark Earthworks in the Society's publications and Web site
- Improving coordination with MBCC and others to accommodate group requests made in advance
OHS is working on additional steps to improve accessibility to the site and information about it. These include:
- Negotiating additional times for access under the current agreement with the MBCC
- Developing an expanded "safe path" on the site that will allow people greater access to sections of the site at all times
- Creating a driving tour for the entire Newark Earthworks State Memorial site
- Developing a process where access can be periodically evaluated with public input
- Providing alternate access to the site through technology
OHS also seeks to collaborate with educational institutions, residents of Newark and Heath and groups who wish to use the site as a place of prayer.
How can I arrange to tour the Octagon Earthworks?
Every Monday from November 1 to March 31, the entire site is open during daylight hours for self-guided visits during these months. Access on other days during these months is allowed, but must be arranged through OHS staff in advance of a visit. OHS also conducts a number of guided tours for school groups and OSU-Newark college classes on various days during this period.
MBCC operates its golf season from April 1 to October 31. During the golf season, visitors to the site are asked to restrict themselves to the viewing platform and its surrounding area and the safe trail that extends from the viewing platform along the southern boundary of the Earthworks. Visitors can use these areas during daylight hours all year without limitation. Five parking spaces in the MBCC parking lot are designated for general visitor use. On Monday mornings during the golf season when MBCC has not scheduled activities, the site is open to visitors as well. The entire site is open to visitors during daylight hours when golfing is prohibited due to course conditions.
Unlimited access is also available to the Earthworks two full Mondays between April 1 and October 31, one weekend afternoon in April, and one weekend afternoon in October. In addition, the number of "open house" special events has been doubled for the 2004 calendar year.
In 2006, the schedule is:
- Sunday, April 16 & Monday, April 17
- Monday, June 5
- Monday, August 7
- Saturday, October 21
With this expanded "open house" schedule, OHS has developed a series of activities and events that provide for greater interpretive activity and public understanding of the entire Newark Earthworks complex.
For more information, or to arrange tours, contact the Newark Earthworks State Memorial at (740) 344-1919 or (800) 600-7178.
What has OHS done to help preserve the site? Has the golf course damaged the earthworks?
In general, MBCC's operation of the golf course has helped to preserve the Octagon Earthworks. In the early years of the club's existence, some actions taken by the country club impacted limited areas of the earthworks, but in recent years, OHS and MBCC have developed guidelines and procedures for the site's preservation. These guidelines remain effective today in ensuring that the site will be preserved for future generations.
Because of the significant opportunities for archaeological discoveries at the Octagon Earthworks, current and future use of the site is managed to limit any impacts on its integrity. To ensure that current uses do not harm the site's well-being, OHS will undertake a thorough study of the condition of the earthworks. Existing conditions will be documented and maintenance or other practices will be identified that should be curtailed, improved, or discontinued. Working with MBCC, OHS will develop ways to mitigate any potentially adverse effects.
What steps has OHS taken to allow the public to provide more input into the planning process for the Earthworks?
During 2002 and 2003, OHS worked with consultants and an advisory panel of 32 community and organization leaders to provide greater public input into the planning process for the Newark Earthworks. This collaboration has resulted in an Historic Site Management Plan (HSMP) for the Newark Earthworks. In draft and final form, this plan has been shared with the general public for additional review and comment.
In accordance with the HSMP, OHS will establish a Newark Earthworks Advisory Committee to work with the Society to increase public understanding and knowledge of the site and to improve the quality of operations. To begin this process, we have asked the local municipalities and MBCC to each appoint a standing representative to the Advisory Committee and are asking for input on standing representation from the Native American community, archaeological interests, and Ohio's heritage tourism industry. Including representation from the K-12 teaching community on an ad hoc basis is also envisioned.
Are the Octagon Earthworks a burial site for prehistoric Native people?
An article published in the April 19, 1925 issue of the New York Times Magazine suggests that 14 "giant" human skeletons were found at the Octagon Earthworks. This article almost certainly refers to an early 19th century discovery of human skeletons in a mound destroyed by the construction of the Ohio and Erie Canal located one mile from the Octagon Earthworks, behind what today is Famous Supply near Main and Union streets in Newark. An original account of the burial discovery is reported in The Advocate on March 29, 1827. A second report is contained in a footnote of the 1848 book, Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley. It is not known what became of the human remains and artifacts found in this excavation.
The earliest documented scientific excavations at the Newark Earthworks were undertaken at the Octagon by a group of scholars from the Granville Literary and Theological Institution (now Denison University). In 1836 this group excavated parts of the Observatory mound at Octagon Earthworks. They found evidence of a layer of stone on the outside of the mound and a stone pavement at its base, but they did not encounter any burials. On the same day, the same group did also excavate a burial mound on the opposite side of Raccoon Creek. It is not known what may have happened to the human remains and artifacts they recovered from this excavation.
In 1862, James and Charles Salisbury dug into the center of two platform mounds at the Octagon. These mounds block the opening of each of the Octagon's gateways. They found no evidence of burials or artifacts. The loaf-shaped mounds appear to be architectural features, not burial mounds.
This is not to say that there are no burials associated with the Newark Earthworks complex. Maps of the earthworks made between 1848 and 1862 (including the Salisbury map – the most complete map of the earthworks so far documented) - identify a number of conical structures north and slightly east of the Wright Earthworks, which we believe were burial mounds associated with the larger complex. Indeed, the 1827 excavations described in the Newark Advocate took place here. The location of the structures is roughly along what is today Union Street between Main Street and Wherle Avenue. In 1928 the Ohio Historical Society conducted excavations at the remnants of the Wells Mound Group west of the Great Circle located on Idlewilde Avenue at S. 24th Street. It is likely that these mounds originally were burial mounds, but no human remains were found there. By that time, the mounds had been badly damaged.
The Ohio Historical Society conducted limited excavations at the southern gateway of the Octagon in 1994. OHS staff archaeologists excavated several test pits near the small platform mound prior to the expansion of a maintenance building by the Mound Builders Country Club in this area. A large, gravel-filled pit was uncovered, but there was no evidence of burials.
It is certainly possible that Native American burials may someday be found at the Octagon Earthworks. The vast majority of the site has never been examined systematically by archaeologists. But there is, so far, no evidence to substantiate any claim that burials have been found there. The main focus of burial activity at the Newark Earthworks was the so-called "Cherry Valley" mound cluster located more than a mile to the east.
Does the Ohio Historical Society have human remains in its collections and are any from the Octagon Earthworks?
After inventorying 6,733 sets of human remains in 2001, Society staff members estimate that there are between 2,500 and 3,000 individuals in the Society's collections. However, the large majority were excavated and removed from their burial places in the 19th and early 20th centuries, long before institutions like OHS understood the cultural implications of these actions. To our knowledge, none of the human remains in the collection were removed from the Octagon Earthworks.
On July 12, 2002, OHS implemented a moratorium on the practice of removing human remains from their place of discovery. The moratorium implements our policy that unless the burials are at imminent risk of loss, formal burials located on OHS-administered property will not be removed from their original context and that measures will be taken to protect the burials from further disturbance.
Some are concerned that OHS retains human remains and burial items in its collections. OHS has formal legal responsibilities regarding the preservation and potential repatriation of these materials under the federal Native American Graves Preservation and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA).
A Federal law passed in 1990, NAGPRA mandates a specific process for museums and Federal agencies to return human remains, funerary and sacred objects and objects of cultural patrimony to lineal descendants, culturally affiliated Indian tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations. For more information about NAGPRA, visit http://www.cr.nps.gov/nagpra/.
Many of the human remains and associated burial artifacts most under contention are identified under NAGPRA as "culturally unaffiliated." In other words, there is no clear way to connect the artifacts and remains with an extant Indian tribe or nation. The Society is not permitted to move forward with disposition of these materials until the National Park Service, which oversees implementation of NAGPRA, clarifies our responsibilities related to culturally unaffiliated artifacts. The Society recognizes that this delay is perplexing, especially to Native Americans who would like the items to be repatriated. However, OHS actions are limited by the speed at which this important issue is debated and resolved at the federal level.
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