Brad Lepper, senior archaeologist for the Ohio History Connection’s World Heritage Program indicating an earthwork's lunar architectural feature. Credit all photos: Bill Rockwell |
You might wonder,
like I do, what the early settlers of Ohio must have thought of the numerous
human made geometrical earthen shapes - circles, squares and octagons, that dot
the landscape.
Who made them and
when? Why were they here stretching across Ohio like a mysterious belt of earthen figures. Some
thought them evidence of an early alien presence. More scholarly thought as a
result of scientific research came to
the conclusion that pre-Columbian
Native Americans, members of the Hopewell culture, started building these
formations some 2,000 years ago.
One Small Section of the Huge Earthworks Complex |
In September of 2023, the Newark Earthworks and five
other earthwork clusters scattered nearly 100 miles across Ohio were given the
status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, making it the first such designation in
the state. It’s also just one of 25 World Heritage Sites the U.S. and one of
more than 1,100 worldwide.
The Hopewell
Ceremonial Earthworks, as the Ohio sites are called, are in good company,
sharing the same status as Machu Pichu, the Acropolis and Stonehenge.
Entering the Newark Earthworks Museum |
In late March, I visited the Newark Earthworks. After parking my car, I spotted a bronze plaque near the site’s small museum that shows the outline of the site that covers some four acres. The plaque is only one of several pieces of signage that dot the landscape and provide significant information on the earthworks for those who take a self-guided tour.
In the museum, I
met with Brad Lepper, senior archaeologist for the Ohio History Connection’s
World Heritage Program, who likened the site to a great cathedral where people
from hundreds of miles away came to hold rituals and ceremonies due to its
spiritual significance. Its immense size also served as a meeting place and a
place for socializing and trading.
Display in the Museum |
Because the
earthworks served as ceremonial centers, finely crafted ritual objects such as
effigy pipes, jewelry and pottery have been recovered. The museum has replicas
of items found on the earthworks site that show the great geographic extent of
the trade routes that extended from Colorado (obsidian) to Florida (seashells)
to the Appalachians (mica).
Site Manager Sarah Hinkleman Explaining a Museum Display |
Citing several
mathematical relationships between the different Newark structures, Lepper said
the Hopewell culture was well advanced in mathematics and astronomy.
“The circumference
of the Great Circle is equal to the perimeter of the square attached to it,” he
said. “And the area of the square is equal to the area of the circle attached
to the octagon.”
A Rendering of the Newark Earthworks |
To show the
relative size of the site, the 50-acre Octagon could hold four Roman coliseums,
and the Great Circle, with a diameter of 1,200-feet, could hold 23 football
fields.
To build the
earthworks, the native population used pointed sticks and clam shell hoes to
dig the earth, which they then carried on their shoulders in woven baskets that
could hold up to 30 pounds.
The Newark
Earthworks also had astronomical significance in that the 18.6-year lunar cycle
is reflected in its construction. For instance, the central axis of the Octagon
looks to the point on the horizon where the moon makes its northwestern most
rise at one end of the cycle.
Other earthworks
sites in the Hopewell UNESCO designated complex have solar alignments as well.
Back in the
museum, visitors can see several displays related to the Hopewell culture
including a three-minute introductory video and an interactive touch screen
kiosk that explores many germane topics.
On a tour of the
grounds with Lepper and Sarah Hinkelman, site manager, I learned that the
earthworks are the largest in the world not built for defensive purposes. “The
Newark Earthworks are huge, encompass 4.5 square miles and the structures were
connected by roads,” Lepper said.
A Large Ditch or "Moat" Line Many of the Interior Sudes of the Earthworks Structures |
Some of the Newark earthworks had walls as high as 14 feet and all have a deep ditch inside the enclosure. According to Bill Kennedy, site manager of Fort Ancient Earthworks and Nature Preserve, another of the earthworks sites in Oregonia in SW Ohio, its walls held the equivalent of 125 million baskets of soil.
As we walked
around the Great Circle, we came to a central mound with a wing-like shape
appropriately called the Eagle Mound. According to Hinkleman, the site is a
commemorative mound that marked the place where a longhouse once stood and had
a large central fire basin that had been cleaned out and filled with sand.
“We don’t know
what the building had been used for,” Hinkelman said.
Unfortunately, the
Hopewell culture started to disappear circa 400 CE and left no written records
behind.
“Here at the
Newark Earthworks, there’s no single place to capture the entire site such as
at Stonehenge or the Taj Mahal,” Lepper said. “You have to immerse yourself in
the site by walking through it to experience its grandeur.”
A Sign Indicates Public Access to the Octagon Earthworks |
The Octagon Earthworks Platform |
The OHC runs three
of the earthworks sites, while the remaining five sites in Ohio fall under the
jurisdiction of the National Park Service.
In the late 1990s,
experts in the field expressed a belief that the earthworks should have a
UNESCO World Heritage Site designation, Over the next 20 plus years, organizers
nominated the sites to UNESCO, engaged in a review process and submitted a
naming document in 2021.
UNESCO then sent
out a reviewer who visited all 8 sites in Ohio in five days. Finally, on
September 19, 2023, the Earthworks nomination was approved.
Glenna J. Wallace, Chief of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma |
Of the approved nomination, Glenna Wallace, chief of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma said “When I grew up my people were thought of as savages. Now, they’re thought of a geniuses.”
The Newark
Earthworks are located at 455 Hebron Road in Heath, Ohio. For more information,
phone 740-344-0498 or www.ohiohistory.org.
Site Manager, Sarah Hinkleman Standing in Front of Trail Map at Flint Ridge |
To add a related site to your visit, Flint Ridge Ancient Quarries is a 553-acre preserve where Native Americans came from the surrounding area to quarry the exceptional rainbow flint found there. Used for trading and to make weapons and tools, the flint is found in a nearly eight-mile-long vein of the high-quality material.
Display of Arrowheads and Spear points at the Flint Ridge Museum |
Located three
miles north of Brownsville, Ohio, and 11 miles from the Newark Earthworks, the
preserve has numerous, sometimes water-filled quarry pits, a small museum, and
4-½ miles of walking trails.
One of the Water-Filled Quarries Along a Flint Ridge Trail |
For more
information on Licking County attractions, log on to www.explorelc.org.
For a Place to
Stay, the Doubletree by Hilton, 50 N.2nd St in Newark, is a block from Newark’s
historic courthouse. Amenities include the hotel’s signature chocolate chip
cookie, spacious rooms, an indoor swimming pool, full service Starbucks, a
24-hour fitness center and free parking. Phone 740-322-.6455.
For a Place to
Dine try the historic Granville Inn, located at 314 E. Broadway in the charming
village of Granville. Dine outdoors on the Tuscan-style patio built on
flagstone floors protected by red umbrellas, in the rustic Oak Room with its
inviting fireplace and large out-facing windows, or in the tavern with its
central bar and copper-fronted fireplace.
The Gorgeous Granville Inn |
Head chef, Ethan
Romine, worked in the inn’s kitchen many years before becoming taking over the
management of the kitchen a year ago. Mason Knight, the restaurant manager,
describes Romine as a young star of the food industry who pulls from
Mediterranean and Asian cooking styles while maintaining a traditional American
base.”
The Bar at the Granville Inn |
The chef-inspired menu changes four times a year and feature locally sources foods. Staple items that have remained on the menu for years include the French onion soup, grilled salmon, and honey glazed Brussels sprouts. The crème brulee, made fresh daily is the house’s signature dessert.
The inn’s
specialty cocktail is smoked Old Fashion-based, which changes seasonally such
as this past winter’s pecan pie Old Fashion. The house wine inventory includes
a Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and a Cabernet made specifically for the inn by
Rutherford Cellars of California.
Inside the Oak Room |
Famous patrons who’ve dined at the inn include Jennifer Gorman and Steve Carell.Coal and rail magnate, John Sutphin Jones, opened the inn on June 26, 1924 with an estimatd 5,000 guests attending. His idea was to create an inn closely tied to the proliferation of automobiles and roadsin the 1910s and 1920s. The inn came with 24 sleeping rooms and was built in the Jacobean Revival style by architect Frank Packard. The adjoining Denison Golf Club is designed by renowned golf course designer, Donald Ross.
Save Room for Dessert |
After passing
through a number of owners, the inn is now owned by Denison College and
underwent a massive historic restoration and renovation before reopening in May
of 2015.
On a timely note,
the inn is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. To help them celebrate,
order the restaurant’s popular Fedora Salad, named for Sally Sexton Jones, the
daughter of the original owner, famous for wearing a fedora. Over the coming
summer, the inn will offer specialty cocktails and dinner specials to help
memorialize its centennial. Phone 740-587-3333 or Granvilleinn.com.
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