Now standing as the best preserved and largest examples of Hopewell geometric earthworks anywhere, the Newark Earthworks once encompassed more than four square miles of land maintained by the Hopewell Era. Today, they blend quietly into the hum of life in Licking County, perhaps easily missed in the flow of traffic and life. But that wasn’t always the case — and still isn’t for Drs. John Low, Brad Lepper and others who are intrigued by the fascinating history of these mounds.
As a historian for Dawes Arboretum, my interest in our county’s past led to an informative conversation with Low and Lepper, who discussed the Earthworks, the Hopewell Era’s relationship with nature, and this outdoor cathedral’s place within the county’s earliest development.
The Hopewell Era is the collective name for the native people who lived in what is now Licking County from 1-400 A.D. Living a sustainable life, they grew native plants and had a dependable food source from wild animals attracted to the local salt deposits.
Low, an associate professor at Ohio State University Newark and manager of the Newark Earthworks Center, told me the mounds were built on a site that was sacred to the Hopewell Era. Why? The answer is unknown, as their stories were unable to be passed on. Some speculation must be used to understand the significance of the mounds to the people who built them.
Lepper, Curator of Archaeology at the Ohio History Connection, said the people who built the Newark Earthworks lived in small communities of one or two families and did not create the mounds for a city. Hundreds or thousands of communities had to come together to build the Earthworks.
Both Lepper and Low believe one charismatic person had the idea to build on a sacred site and oversaw the entire construction. The consistency of the design implies that the Earthworks were built within this one person’s lifetime. The Hopewell Era people were not hierarchical, yet this person had to inspire the communities to build using their pointed sticks and baskets. John pointed out that dirt was chosen instead of stone, as “Mother Earth” was the most sacred material the Hopewell could use.
Since the Newark Earthworks were built for ceremonial purposes, I asked John how the Hopewell Era used the mounds. He speculates the Earthworks were a home base of family reunions, naming ceremonies, entertainment like stick ball and a place for teaching and commerce. Brad said archaeological evidence confirms that the Earthworks were a site of pilgrimage from all over North America. Copper from the Great Lakes, shells from the Gulf of Mexico and obsidian from Yellowstone have been left as offerings by faraway populations.
Between the end of the Hopewell Era and the establishment of Licking County in 1808, the people who built the Newark Earthworks both died off and were pushed to the west. They were succeeded by the Shawnee, who acted as “custodians” but were not actively using the site in the same way as their ancestors. Today, two major elements of the Newark Earthworks remain: the Octagon and Great Circle Earthworks. The other structures and burial mounds were destroyed for farm fields and the growing Anglo-American community.
How did the Octagon and Great Circle evade destruction? Starting in 1854, the Great Circle was the site of the Licking County Fairgrounds. “They could have put their county fairgrounds anywhere, but they chose to do it here. When you read the advertisements from the fairground, the Circle is a big attraction,” Brad said.
After the Civil War in 1878, approximately 30,000 citizens and soldiers from Ohio gathered at the Great Circle Earthworks to hear speeches from President Hayes and General William Tecumseh Sherman in honor of the Grand Reunion of the Veteran Soldiers and Sailors of Ohio. The Octagon Earthworks was the site of a militia campground in 1892 and later the Moundbuilders Country Club in 1911.
A small group of Licking County residents recognized the Earthworks’ significance and began to plan for future preservation. The Licking County Pioneer, Historical and Antiquarian Society formed in 1867 and acted as the county’s first historical society. This group of concerned residents went to the community to raise money to buy the Earthworks and gift it to the state. A tax levy was proposed in 1892 which passed countywide almost unanimously. The Great Circle was deeded to the Ohio Archaeological and Historical Society by the Licking County commissioners in 1933, the same year the Octagon Earthworks was also transferred from an act of legislature.
With regards to the Earthworks today, Brad’s goal is for Licking County residents to act as torchbearers, “... to recognize what we (have), what it means for our heritage, for our current relationship with the American Indian tribes and for the local economy as an attraction to encourage tourism from the entire world. I want kids in Licking County growing up to know what this is and what its significance is.”
To conclude, let’s bring this story back to the native people. I asked John, part of the Red Tail Hawk community, if the Newark Earthworks is still a site of pilgrimage. In the last 20 years, yes! The Shawnee, Wyandot and Potawatomi have all been back to visit since John has lived here. John brought elders from his community through a bus trip.
“They were just floored by the Earthworks. They could feel the power of it, the energy and the importance of it. It was obvious without me doing a PowerPoint and a lecture,” John said. “There’s a lot of pride, awe and reflection.”
