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<< Our Photo Pages >> Newark Earthworks - Octagon - Misc. Earthwork in United States in Great Lakes Midwest

Submitted by bat400 on Tuesday, 25 July 2017  Page Views: 31541

Multi-periodSite Name: Newark Earthworks - Octagon Alternative Name: Moundbuilders State Memorial
Country: United States Region: Great Lakes Midwest Type: Misc. Earthwork
Nearest Town: Newark, Ohio
Latitude: 40.053167N  Longitude: 82.446417W
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
 4 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
 3 Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
 4 Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
 4

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eforrest25 visited on 21st Aug 2015 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 3 Access: 4 Viewing the Octagon is best done when the golf course that engulfed it has it's "open house" and visitors are invited to walk the course without fear of golf balls whizzing passed. The earthwork is so huge that pictures from the viewing platform really don't do it justice.

mfrincu visited on 2nd Jul 2015 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 3 Access: 5 The entire place is a golf course which may contribute to its damage. There is a small platform from where you can see part of the octagon and observatory circle but it is too short. It should be at least as tall as the one at the Serpent Mound (another site). From the platform you can best view the passage way between the circle and the octagon.

rrmoser visited on 19th Jun 2014 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 3 Now a fn golf course with very limited access and since you cannot enter it you cannot experience it. View from small platform outside while golfers play...sad

bat400 have visited here

Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 3.33 Ambience: 3 Access: 4.5

Newark Earthworks - Octagon
Newark Earthworks - Octagon submitted by durhamnature : Old drawing from "Mississippi Valley..." via archive.org (Vote or comment on this photo)
Geometric Earthworks in Licking County, Ohio. The Octagon is made up of extended earthworks 4 to 7 feet high and approximately 10 feet across in most places. The earthwork encloses 55 acres, and is attached to a circular enclosure (the "Observatory Circle") containing about 20 acres.

Earthen mounds are placed to block direct view into the enclosure at multiple "gateways". The Octagon is situated so that the eight corners align with points in the 18.6 year lunar cycle when viewed from a mound inside the attached Observaroty Circle, southwest of the Octagon portion of the earthwork.

The Octagon enclosure, like all the preserved portions of the Newark site is owned by the Ohio Historical Society. However, due to a lack of funding in the past, this area was leased to the Moundbuilders Country Club and is now part of a private golf course. Access to the enclosure interior and much of the site is limited. As the lunar alignment was discovered, the popularity of the site has increased, with unfortunate conflicts. Location given is for the viewing platform at the connecting "road" of the Octagon and its associated circle.
One can view the earthworks at all times from surrounding city streets, mainly on 30th Street from the east, and Parkview Drive from the south. A vertex of the Octagon can be seen at 30th and Ridgetown St. and at the "dead end" of Parker Drive. During daylight there is a public area with parking near a viewing platform and a trail that goes around a portion of the circle earthwork and the connection "road".
For more information, see Aluta's article and the Portal's 2009 interview with Richard Shiels, Director of the Newark Earthworks Center.


Note: Octagon Earthworks Open House, 31 July 2017, Noon to 4pm. See comments.
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Newark Earthworks - Octagon
Newark Earthworks - Octagon submitted by durhamnature : Old plan drawing from "Archaeologia Cambrensis" via archive.org (Vote or comment on this photo)

Newark Earthworks - Octagon
Newark Earthworks - Octagon submitted by durhamnature : Old site plan, from "Travels among American...."via archive.org (Vote or comment on this photo)

Newark Earthworks - Octagon
Newark Earthworks - Octagon submitted by bat400 : This photo was taken from the observing platform that is set on the east side of the connecting "road" between the circle and octagon in the "Octagon" earthwork site. Looking southwest toward the circle. As you can see, the enclosures are far too large to get a good idea of the geometry without actually walking the site. Photo - bat400, 3 Nov 2007. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Newark Earthworks - Octagon
Newark Earthworks - Octagon submitted by AKFisher : Photo courtesy Dr Greg Little, author of the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Native American Indian Mounds & Earthworks (2016). Schematic showing the lunar alignments made over 18.61 years at the Newark, Ohio earthworks site--the Circle & Octagon. From: "Origins of the Gods" (2022). (Vote or comment on this photo)

Newark Earthworks - Octagon
Newark Earthworks - Octagon submitted by AKFisher : Archaeological reconstruction artist's (Dee Turman) depiction of how the 50-acre geometric earthwork (Octagon) at Newark, Ohio was used for rituals involving the moon's cyclic movements over 18.61-years. Among other things, the 50-acre Octagon and the 20-acre Circle attached to it could predict eclipses. Image courtesy Dr Greg Little, author of the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Native Americ...

Newark Earthworks - Octagon
Newark Earthworks - Octagon submitted by bat400 : A portion of a small circular enclosure immediately east of the Octagon. Unfortunately, a putting green has been sited to entirely fill the area. Photo - bat400, 4 Nov 2007.

Newark Earthworks - Octagon
Newark Earthworks - Octagon submitted by bat400 : A view that gives you an example of how most of the publicly owned site looks, occupied as it is by the private lease holder - the Moundbuilder's Country Club. Photo - bat400, 4 Nov 2007.

Newark Earthworks - Octagon
Newark Earthworks - Octagon submitted by bat400 : Walking south west around the circle portion of the "Octagon" earthwork. Photo - bat400, 3 Nov 2007.

Newark Earthworks - Octagon
Newark Earthworks - Octagon submitted by bat400 : The northeast vertex of the Octagon, seen from 30th Street. Photo - bat400, 3 Nov 2007.

Newark Earthworks - Octagon
Newark Earthworks - Octagon submitted by bat400 : In the background you see the "Observatory" Mound at the southwest of the circle portion of the enclosure. This mound is just outside the circle enclosure and is the tallest portion of the Octagon earthworks. It is from this mound that the vertex's of the Octagon can be seen to align with moonrise maximums and minimums. Photo - bat400, 3 Nov 2007.

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 1.9km SE 136° Newark Earthworks - Great Circle* Misc. Earthwork
 2.0km ESE 105° Newark Earthworks - Wright* Misc. Earthwork
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"Newark Earthworks - Octagon" | Login/Create an Account | 22 News and Comments
  
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31 July 2017 Open House for Newark Earthworks Octagon by bat400 on Tuesday, 25 July 2017
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The Octagon Earthworks in the Newark complex can generally only be seen from a few limited vantage points.

Only four open house dates are scheduled each year. The remaining open house events in 2017 are:
Monday, July 31
Sunday, October 8

The July 31 Open House occurs during daylight hours on Monday. Be there from Noon to 4 pm for guided tours, see Hopewell Culture artifacts, try ancient technologies, and to learn about Native cultures.

See Newark Earthworks Center BlogSpot.

[ Reply to This ]

Newark Earthworks and Moon's Apparent Diameter by bat400 on Monday, 03 June 2013
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Ray Hively and Robert Horn, professors at Earlham College, found that the Octagon Earthworks with its attached "Observatory" mound encode the complicated 18.6-year-long cycle of Moon rises and sets in the design of the walls and gateways.

Brad Lepper writes in the Ohio Archaeology Blog:
"I recently received an e-mail from Jim Drury and his brother-in-law David Routledge, a radioastronomer and Professor Emeritus at the University of Alberta, with an observation that suggests the record of celestial harmonies in the Newark Earthworks is even more remarkable than first imagined by Hively and Horn.

"David observed that the proportional difference between the diameter of the Great Circle (1,190 feet) and the Observatory Circle (1,054 feet) was approximately equal to the proportional difference between the apparent diameters of the Moon at perigee and apogee.

"The Moon's orbit around the Earth is elliptical, not a perfect circle... Perigee is that point when the Moon is at its closest and apogee is the point at which it is farthest away. At perigee, the Moon appears about 14% larger than at apogee."

Equations supplied by Drury and Routledge:

Diameter of the Great Circle/Diameter of the Observatory Circle = 1190 ft./1052 ft. = 1.131

Angular diameter of the Moon at Perigee/Angular diameter of the Moon at Apogee = 0.5548 degrees/0.4923 degrees = 1.127

Percent Error = 0.35%

"I shared this intriguing observation with my favorite archaeoastronomers Ray Hively and Bob Horn. Far from dismissing the possibility, Ray pointed out that if you use 1,185 feet as a more accurate estimate of the diameter of the Great Circle, the agreement is even closer. Bob expressed concern about the possibility that the correspondence simply could be a coincidence. He pointed out that the area of the Observatory Circle is 18.6 acres – and the lunar cycle is 18.6 years in length. This certainly is a coincidence and serves as a cautionary tale warning us not to put too much faith in what numbers can be made to suggest.

"Bob's right, of course, but we already know that the Hopewell shaman/priests were careful observers of the Moon. It's entirely likely they would have noticed changes in the Moon's appearance and just as they embedded the rhythms of moonrise and moonset into their monumental architecture they also may have chosen to incorporate additional layers of hard-won celestial knowledge into the sacred earthworks.

"At the very least, I wholeheartedly agree with Ray's conclusion that this new observation is intriguing and "should be kept in mind in interpreting future dimensions."

For more, see Ohio Archaeology Blog for 5 April 2013.
[ Reply to This ]

2013 OPEN HOUSE DATES FOR NEWARK’S OCTAGON EARTHWORKS by bat400 on Wednesday, 20 March 2013
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The Octagon Earthworks are spectacular remnants of the monumental Newark Earthworks. The enormous scale of the enclosures, the geometrical precision and accuracy of the astronomical alignments built into these earthen walls make this site one of the wonders of the ancient world.

The Octagon Earthworks are one of the Ohio Historical Society’s historic sites, but it currently is operated by Moundbuilders County Club. So, while portions of the site are accessible 365 days a year during daylight hours, most of the earthwork is closed to the public when the golf course is open.

There are four days a year, however, when the Ohio Historical Society and its partners, including the Ohio State University’s Newark Earthworks Center, hosts an open house. On these dates, the entire site is open for your exploration and enjoyment.

Join us for these four special days of unlimited access to one of the most amazing sites in North America.

April 14 – Sunday -- guided tours from Noon to 4 PM

April 15 – Monday -- guided tours from 9 AM to 4 PM

May 28 – Tuesday

October 13 -- Sunday

Stay tuned for updates on special programming that may be offered on these days, but for now, make sure you have the dates on your calendar.

I will hope to see you at the magnificent Octagon Earthworks on one or all of these days!
Don’t miss a chance to walk in the footsteps of Ohio’s ancient Native American astronomers, architects and engineers.

Source: Brad Lepper, Ohio Archaeology Blog, 11 Mar 2013.
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Earthworks in North America Lecture Series at Osu-Newark Campus, Spring 2013 by Andy B on Saturday, 12 January 2013
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"EARTHWORKS IN NORTH AMERICA" LECTURE SERIES AT OSU-NEWARK CAMPUS
The Newark Earthworks Center at the Ohio State University Newark Campus, is sponsoring a series of guest lectures on earthworks through March 2013. The public is invited to attend.

All of the programs are scheduled for 3:55 – 5:15 PM in the classroom in the back of the Warner Center Library.

Here is the schedule of talks:

January 17: Christine Ballengee-Morris -- Earthworks Around the World: Newark , Ireland , Korea and Brazil

January 31: Brad Lepper --The Newark Earthworks: a First Century Pilgrimage Center

February 14: Jarrod Burks -- Geophysical Research on Earthworks

February 28: John Crissinger -- Research on Earthworks in the Ohio Native American Archives here in Newark

March 5: William Romain -- LiDAR Research on Earthworks

March 21: Marti Chaatsmith -- American Indians and the Earthworks: Contemporary Issues

These programs are a great opportunity to learn more about Ohio's remarkable American Indian heritage!

Source: Ohio Archaeology Blog, Brad Lepper as spotted by Bat400
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3D in Google Earth by Andy B on Friday, 29 April 2011
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There is a 3D representation of the Newark Earthwork mounds in Google Earth
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Re: DVD touted by Fox News host Glenn Beck stirs up archaeological spat by trylondm on Monday, 10 January 2011
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This is just the latest attempt to make a few bucks by creating and/or sensationalizing archaeological "discoveries" to a gullible public. The Newark Stones, Cardiff Giant, and Kensington Stone are well known 19th century examples of this type of hoax, and the hucksterism continues to this day. To his credit, Dr. Lepper, in his brief but informative booklet about the Newark Earthworks published by the Ohio Historical Society, doesn't keep the Newark Stones "out of the history books" at all but instead gives them prominent and objective coverage, concluding from the evidence available that they were most likely a hoax, although in good PC fashion, granting the possibility that others may choose to reach their own conclusions or that other corroborating evidence may appear sometime in the future. Hardly narrow-minded in my humble opinion.

Looking long-term, like only an archaeologist can, one can only hope that some good comes from this; that someone somewhere will be inspired to look just a little bit deeper into the remarkable accomplishments and legacy of the Hopewell and other prehistoric cultures.

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Re: DVD touted by Fox News host Glenn Beck stirs up archaeological spat by Anonymous on Friday, 31 December 2010
Funny how easy it is to claim something is a fraud when it doesn't fit into a narrow mind.
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    Re: DVD touted by Fox News host Glenn Beck stirs up archaeological spat by coldrum on Friday, 31 December 2010
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    Many of those who subscribe to alternative theories are just as narrow minded as those they accuse of being so.
    [ Reply to This ]

DVD touted by Fox News host Glenn Beck stirs up archaeological spat by Andy B on Wednesday, 29 December 2010
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The Lost Civilizations of North America, a DVD released this summer 2010, explores an archaeological debate surrounding prehistoric Americans.

The 63-minute DVD presents the possibility that they interacted with ancient Old World civilizations such as those in Egypt and Rome.

The DVD was crowned Best Multicultural Documentary by the International Cherokee Film Festival and was featured prominently in a TV segment by Fox News host Glenn Beck.

But this month, six of the experts interviewed for the film, including an Ohio archaeologist, released a letter that says the documentary advances unsubstantiated claims, uses their words out of context and highlights artifacts that have proved to be fraudulent to advance a "fringe" archaeological belief.

"We want to make it clear that we do not support the theories presented in The Lost Civilizations of North America DVD," the letter reads.

The film's makers defend it as an objective documentary.

The DVD was produced by filmmaker Rick Stout, as well as Steven Smoot and Barry McLerran, board members of the Family First Foundation, a Utah-based organization that provides funding for pro-family nonprofit groups.

"Any suggestion that the scholars' remarks were edited in order to use them in support of a claim they did not express support for in their interview is specious," Stout, Smoot and McLerran said in a statement.

The DVD's only "claims," the producers say, are that technological advancements of ancient American cultures were excluded from American history and that the authenticity of some artifacts is still debated.

"We worked to honor the Native American cultures and tried to be reflective of the great respect that we personally hold for those peoples," they wrote.

One of the archaeologists objecting to his portrayal in the DVD is Bradley T. Lepper, the Ohio Historical Society's archaeological curator.

Lepper, who writes an archaeology column for T he Dispatch, was interviewed twice by the filmmakers. The first interview - on April 19, 2009 - followed a tour he gave of the Octagon Earthworks in Newark, which are mounds constructed by the Hopewell culture (100 B.C.-A.D. 400).

"They were basically just asking me about the Newark earthworks," said Lepper, adding that he compared the scale of the earthworks to other ancient wonders.

A major focus of the documentary, and Beck's television segment, were the Newark Holy Stones. Discovered in the 1860s by David Wyrick, a Licking County surveyor, the stones contain Hebrew writing and are used by some to prove the link between the prehistoric Americans and Old World civilizations. Others, including most archaeologists, believe the stones are a fraud, carved in modern times and hidden in the earthworks for Wyrick to find.

"What the film 'claimed' is that these artifacts were controversial: Some accepted them and some don't," the documentary's producers wrote. Beck presented the stones as authentic artifacts during his Aug. 18 broadcast.

"I was blown away!" he said on the program. "I didn't know the story of these. ... Do you live in Ohio, and did you know that? Why not?"

Beck went on to say the stones were purposely kept out of history books by the government and the Smithsonian Institution.

But, Lepper said, "The evidence is overwhelmingly that they are a fraud. And the premise that the Smithsonian or anyone made an effort to cover this up is not factually based."

Beck's program did not respond to requests for comment.

Read more in the Columbus Dispatch:
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/12/29/dvd-stirs-up-archaeological-spat.html

with thanks to Flyvapnet
[ Reply to This ]
    Statement about 'The Lost Civilizations of NA' DVD by bat400 on Sunday, 02 January 2011
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    See the original statement by the misrepresented archaeologists, reproduced here at ohio-archaeology.blogspot.com.

    One should know that the DVD was produced by members of the "Family First Foundation." This is an organization founded by Later Day Saints church (Mormon) members, and it supports social interests common with that church, namely the complete abolition of abortion and birth control. The organization's website seems most focused on a contention that any form of population control means the downfall of civilization. The origin story of the LDS faith is based on a "Lost Tribe of Israel" ideology as an explanation of North American civilizations before European Contact.
    [ Reply to This ]

Another Streetview Newark Earthworks, Ohio by bat400 on Friday, 12 March 2010
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One of the corners of the Newark Octagon:


View Larger Map">This is a link.
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Streetview Newark Earthworks, Ohio by bat400 on Friday, 12 March 2010
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A small circle earthwork near the Octagon.


View Larger Map">This is a link. Note the golfers.
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Re: Newark Earthworks Day 17 Oct 2009 with Access to Octagon on 18 Oct. by Andy B on Sunday, 11 October 2009
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We have an interview with the site director here:

On the Pilgrim Road - Interview with Richard Shiels, Director, Newark Earthworks
http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=2146413751
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Re: Newark Earthworks Day 17 Oct 2009 with Access to Octagon on 18 Oct. by Condros on Thursday, 24 September 2009
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Congratulations to Bat400 and Aluta, and all those who participated in this article and responded.
I would wish that somehow funds be located to buy out the Moundsville Country Club, and seek to restore this grand structure to it's former glory. With all the accumulated knowledge of it's archaeology, and it's significance to archaeoastronomy, a mere golf course seems ludricous,
It's about time to show the world the great accomplishments of Native North Americans-instead of the folly of whacking around the little white balls of modern day yuppies.
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Newark Earthworks Day 17 Oct 2009 with Access to Octagon on 18 Oct. by bat400 on Thursday, 24 September 2009
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The Newark Earthworks Center, Ohio State University, announces Newark Earthworks Day with a selection of speakers, music, and exhibitors at the campus. The theme of the event is the Newark complex as a place of pilgrimage, and the Saturday events follow a week long walk of participants from the Chillicothe Hopewell Culture sites to Newark, sixty miles away. The route of this "Walk with the Ancients" follows the path of the "Great Hopewell Road" posited by Dr. Brad Lepper, and based on the documents of early surveyors of the Newark complex in the 1800's.

The Sunday after the Newark Earthworks Center event is one of only four days in 2009 when the entire Newark Octagon Earthwork will be accessible to the public.
[ Reply to This ]

Re: 21 Oct 2007 Open House at Octagon Earthworks by Anonymous on Sunday, 02 December 2007
It is not a nice thing to see such disrespect done towards the ancestral homelands of this nations first inhabitants. It is kind of like whizzing on someones grandparents grave with full regard of knowing the full meaning behind the intent. A golf course on public ground that should be available for the taxpayers to visit all year long instead of someone dictating that only two days will be allowed! Bigots!
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21 Oct 2007 Open House at Octagon Earthworks by bat400 on Friday, 19 October 2007
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Open House at the Octagon Earthworks

Join us at the Octagon Earthworks on Sunday October 21st!

The fun begins at 1 PM and includes the following activities:

Guided Tours
Guided tours of the Octagon Earthworks by OHS staff and volunteers will be offered at 1:15, 2:45 and 3:30 PM. Visitors are welcome to tour the earthworks on their own, but are asked to please stay off the greens.

The Straight and Narrow: Lunar Alignments and the Earthworks
Archaeoastronomer Mike Mickelson presents a fascinating discussion on the lunar alignment phenomena associated with the earthworks.

Flint Knapping Demonstrations
Flint knapper Phil Love will demonstrate the ancient art of turning flint into projectile points and tools. His demonstrations will be on-going from 1to 4 PM.

Storytelling
Mark Welsh will share traditional Native American stories at 2 & 3 PM.

History-to-Go Van
Visitors are invited to participate in a variety of fun and educational hands-on activities from 1 to 4 PM.

Scheduled activities will conclude at 4 PM, but visitors are welcome to stay until dusk.

For more information about the Octagon Earthworks, including directions on how to get to the site, go to this link, or call Jim Kingery at 1-(800) 600-7178.
[ Reply to This ]

Octagon Earthworks Open House by Anonymous on Tuesday, 18 September 2007
COME AND SEE A WONDER OF THE ANCIENT WORLD!

Date: 24 September 2007
Time: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Sponsor: Ohio Historical Society
Place: Octagon Earthworks, 125 N. 33rd Street, Newark, Ohio

Join Ohio Historical Society archaeologist Brad Lepper and other OHS staff and volunteers at the ancient Octagon Earthworks for a day of fun and exploration at a site that ordinarily has restricted access.

For the duration of the Open House, the entire site will be open to the public and there will be specially guided tours offered at the following times: 10:15 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 12:30 p.m. & 1:30 p.m. There also will be flintknapping demonstrations, lectures, and activities for kids throughout the day.

Special guest Dr. Michael Mickelson, Denison University, will give a talk on how ancient people around the world developed calendars and marked time with monuments like Stonehenge and the Newark Earthworks. At the main activity tent at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.

For more information, see this link, or contact Jim Kingery at 1-800-600-7178.
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Octagon Earthworks’ alignment with moon likely is no accident by Aluta on Monday, 19 February 2007
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If you go to the Newark Earthworks article and find the comment entitled Ancient mound's alignment to moon found by doubters, you can read how Professors Hively and Horn stumbled across the lunar alignments at the Octagon.
[ Reply to This ]

Octagon Earthworks’ alignment with moon likely is no accident by bat400 on Monday, 19 February 2007
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Tuesday, Feb 13, 2007. Submitted by coldrum.

"The Octagon Earthworks in Newark is one remnant of the Newark Earthworks, recently listed by The Dispatch as one of the Seven Wonders of Ohio.

"Earlham College professors Ray Hively and Robert Horn demonstrated in 1982 that the walls of this 2,000-yearold circle and octagon were aligned to the points on the horizon, marking the limits of the rising and setting of the moon during an 18.6-year cycle.

"The implications of this argument for our understanding of the knowledge and abilities of the ancient American Indian builders of the earthworks are astounding. But how can we know whether they deliberately lined the walls up with the moon or whether the series of alignments is just an odd coincidence?

"In the current issue of the Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology, Hively and Horn use statistics to address this question.
And while they acknowledge that they cannot provide a definitive answer, their analyses certainly offer compelling evidence to support their idea that the sites are among the world’s earliest astronomical observatories.

"They determined that, even "making the most generous plausible combination of assumptions favoring chance alignments," the odds that the alignments at Newark are merely accidental are about one in a thousand. Using more reasonable assumptions, the odds are more like one in 40 million. "

For more details on the analysis see Brad Lepper's piece in the
Columbus Dispatch.
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Newark Earthworks Moonrise Observance, 2006 by Andy B on Monday, 10 July 2006
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We received this from Brad Lepper, archaeologist at the Newark Earthorks in Newark, Ohio:

MOONRISE OBSERVANCE SCHEDULED FOR OCT. 11 AT ANCIENT OCTAGON EARTHWORKS

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio Historical Society announced today that it is working with the Moundbuilders Country Club in Newark to present a moonrise observance at the Octagon Earthworks on Wednesday, Oct. 11, when the moon will rise nearly at its northernmost point in a virtually perfect alignment with the central axis of the Octagon.

Educational programs organized by the Ohio Historical Society on Oct. 11 will include events in the clubhouse and also on the patio. In addition, the public is invited to the grounds of the site.
"We are delighted to collaborate with the Moundbuilders Country Club to share with the public the moonrise event that will occur on Oct. 11," said William K. Laidlaw Jr., OHS executive director. "This is a great opportunity for people in Licking County and many other parts of Ohio, North America and beyond to witness this exciting astronomical event and to marvel at the knowledge and engineering skill of people who built the site thousands of years ago."

Built 2,000 years ago by American Indian people, the Octagon is part of the Newark Earthworks, a complex recognized by scholars as the largest geometric earthworks ever created. In 1982, astronomer Ray Hively and philosopher Robert Horn of Earlham College in Indiana determined that the earthworks were built as a lunar observatory, similar in sophistication to Stonehenge. They found that the Octagon's layout is aligned perfectly to the points on the eastern and western horizons defined by an 18.6-year-long lunar cycle.

The Ohio Historical Society owns the major remaining portions of what was once four square miles of ancient structures. In addition to the Octagon, OHS operates the Great Circle Earthworks and a portion of the Wright Earthworks. Moundbuilders has leased the Octagon as a golf course since 1910, and the Ohio Historical Society has owned the site since 1933.

Laidlaw and leaders of the country club said plans for the event are proceeding with a spirit of cooperation and desire for a community educational experience.
"Although many details remain to be worked out in the coming weeks, Moundbuilders Country Club has offered to assist in this event," Laidlaw said. "We appreciate the club's collaborative spirit and believe this will be a win-win event for everyone."
Mark Walters, president of the Moundbuilders Country Club, said the club hopes to spur interest in the earthworks and some local economic activity from visitors who will stay in area lodging, eat in local restaurants and shop at local stores.

"We see this event as beneficial for the Licking County community," Walters said. "We welcome visitors to Moundbuilders Country Club on the evening of Oct. 11 to participate in the Ohio Historical Society's educational programs about these amazing earthworks that help make Newark a truly special place."

Last year, the Moonrise Committee of the Newark Earthworks Initiative at Ohio State University-Newark had hoped to stage a similar moonrise event at the Octagon on Oct. 22, but rainy weather led to a postponement and then a cancellation of the event. "I am pleased that OHS and MCC will invite the public to view the moonrise that Wednesday evening," said Prof. Richard Shiels, who leads the initiative at OSU-Newark. "The Newark Earthworks represent a world-class archaeological site that is also considered sacred by many Native Americans. It is important for us to be educating the public and celebrating our heritage together."

For more information about the Newark Earthworks, see the website:
http://www.ohiohistory.org/places/newarkearthworks/index.html
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