NEWARK, Ohio (Keynote USA) — The Ohio Historical Society is one step away from taking control of ancient ceremonial and funerary earthworks maintained by a country club where members play golf next to the mounds.
A trial was scheduled to begin Tuesday to determine how much the historical society should pay for the site, which is among eight former areas of the Hopewell Earthworks system named a World Heritage Site last year.
Built between 2,000 and 1,600 years ago by people of the Hopewell culture, the earthworks hosted ceremonies that attracted people from across the continent, based on archaeological discoveries of raw materials from as far away as the Rocky Mountains.
Ohio History Connection, owner of the 2,000-year-old Octagon Earthworks in Newark, central Ohio, won a state Supreme Court decision a year and a half ago that allowed it to claim a lease on Moundbuilders Country Club for to be able to convert the site into a public park.
The historical society has estimated the value of the site at about $2 million, while the country club is seeking a much higher return.
Native Americans built the earthworks, including eight long earthen walls, that correspond to the lunar movements and align with the points where the moon rises and sets during the 18.6-year lunar cycle.
Ohio History Connection calls them “part cathedral, part cemetery, and part astronomical observatory.”
Numerous tribes, some with historical ties to Ohio, want the earthworks preserved as examples of indigenous people’s achievements.
In 1892, voters in surrounding Licking County enacted a tax increase to preserve what remained of the earthworks. The area was developed as a golf course in 1911, and the state first leased the 134-acre (54-hectare) property to Moundbuilders Country Club in the 1930s.
A county judge ruled in 2019 that the historical society can reclaim the lease through eminent domain.
The club disputed the attempt to seize the property, saying Ohio History Connection did not make a good faith offer to purchase the property as required by state law. The country club says it has properly maintained the mound and allowed public access over the years.
The club suffered another legal blow when the trial court dismissed evidence it had hoped to present about the value of the land. The club appealed that decision to the state Supreme Court, which declined jurisdiction.
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