Ohio History Connection isn't wasting any time in opening a set of ancient Native American earthworks up to the public. The state historical society officially retakes possession of the Octagon Earthworks Jan. 1, and is hosting events there the same day.
"This is a new era. This is a new day at the Octagon Earthworks," says Neil Thompson, manager of media and public relations. "We're inviting community members from Newark, people from all over the region ... and then anyone throughout the state or even beyond to come for an event that day."
The Octagon in Licking County is an eight-sided, geometric figure linked to a circular figure. The earthworks enclose more than 59 acres. The earthen mound walls are one to two meters high. There's also an observatory mound that is 3.6 meters tall. Breaks in the mound walls are set for precise lunar alignments.
The site is part of Ohio's Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2023. Some 2,000 years ago, people from across North America converged in what is now southern Ohio to build giant earthen walls and mounds in precise patterns like squares, circles, octagons and large enclosures.
Today, "Hopewell" is understood as an American Indian religious movement that swept over half the continent, lasting about 400 years. Many different communities all across eastern North America were linked together by common ideas about the cosmos and their relationships to one another in the cosmos, according to researchers.
Their design and construction indicate these early peoples had a clear understanding of geometry, architecture, and solar and lunar patterns and alignments.
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Ohio History Connection (OHC), the National Park Service and other partners worked for years on the bid to get the earthworks added to the World Heritage List. Part of that included clawing back the Octagon Earthworks from a local country club operating a golf course on the land through a long-term lease on the property.
After years of legal back-and-forth that went all the way to the Ohio Supreme Court, OHC and Moundbuilders Country Club announced a deal in August in which OHC paid Moundbuilders an undisclosed amount in compensation for the golf course's assets. The golf club then used the proceeds to purchase a nearby public course — the Trout Club — which it will transition to a new private club.
Ohio History Connection plans to use the soon-to-be former Moundbuilders Country Club clubhouse as a visitor center. Thompson says the Octagon Earthworks will function much like any park or OHC site. There are plans for adding staff, developing tours, and welcoming school classes.
RELATED: Ohio's Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks are now a UNESCO World Heritage site
That starts with open house-style events on Jan.1, including:
- 11 a.m. – An immersive guided tour of the Octagon Earthworks.
- 1 p.m. – Coffee and conversation, including a welcome from OHC CEO Megan Wood and updates about the future of the Octagon.
- 2 p.m. – A second guided tour for those who wish to dive deeper into the history of the site.
People can also come and explore the site on their own. The visitor center will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the property will be open during daylight hours.
"We plan to be answering many questions that people might have," Thompson says. "We want to be able to not only answer operations and logistical questions, but be able to tell people about the incredible history behind the preservation of these earthworks; the incredible history of how they remain; the incredible history of this 18.6 year lunar cycle that you can track through the angles of the Octagon."
The earthworks were built by the ancestors of America's modern-day First Nations. Today no federally recognized tribes remain in Ohio. They were all forcibly removed in the 17 and 1800s. Thompson says OHC looks forward to working with tribes like the Shawnee, Eastern Shawnee, Miami, and others whose historical homelands spanned Ohio.
