Great Circle Earthworks
Great Circle Earthworks, with an earthen wall that varies between five and fourteen feet in height, spans twelve-hundred feet across and encompasses thirty acres. Along the inside of the circle wall is a ditch or moat that ranges in depth from eight to thirteen feet. A separate mound, or series of small mounds, stands in the center of the Great Circle. Traditionally called the Eagle Mound due to its resemblance to a flying bird, it is possible that the mound represents an arrow or an animal print of some kind. The Eagle Mound stands on what had once been the site of a Hopewell great house. The Great Circle Earthworks was misunderstood by many European settlers as a fortification, and was referred to by most nineteenth-century inhabitants of the area as the "Old Fort." Others believed it to be the site of a monarch's center of power, or a place for games akin to the Olympics of ancient Greece, though some surmised that the structures had a grander, spiritual significance. Despite the lack of understanding of the site’s function and the destruction of many of the embankments and smaller earthworks in the Licking River Valley, the Great Circle was preserved through a variety of civic and commercial uses in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The land was purchased in 1853 by a group of concerned citizens with the aim of preserving the site as a public gathering space. Once the site of the now defunct Licking County Fair, and even the State Fair, the Great Circle was also a military practice field, horse-racing track, and an amusement park known as Idlewild Park. By the 1930s, the Great Circle Earthworks was at risk again with the closure of the amusement park. The citizens and officials of Licking County, working together with the Ohio Historical Society and the Civilian Conservation Corps—one of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal initiatives—were able to clean and restore the grounds, maintaining it as an important historical and cultural site. The Great Circle Earthworks and Octagon Earthworks, along with other sites in the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, are in the final stages of the application process to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Image 1: Sketch of the layout of the Great Circle and surrounding earthworks and embankments, many of which are now lost.Image 2: Illustration from the 1875 Atlas of Licking County depicting structures and activities at the "Old Fort."Image 3: 1904 photograph showing some of the structures and modern implements at the site.Image 4: Photograph from 1911 showing picnickers on the Great Circle.Image 5: Nineenth-century drawing of Great Circle Earthworks and the Eagle Mound.
Wright Earthworks
When Europeans first arrived in the Licking River Valley, they found a large and complex series of earthworks created centuries prior by the Hopewell culture. Built between 100 B.C.E and 400 C.E., the Newark Earthworks covered more than four square miles of ground and were composed of a variety of geometric shapes. These shapes included circles, squares, and octagons along with mounds and embankments. They are the largest geometric earthworks in the world. The original function of the site is unknown, though a sacred purpose connected to lunar and astronomical charts is the most likely. Some structures within the complex functioned as astronomical calendars and markers of celestial movements. Unfortunately, many of these features have been destroyed over the last two centuries through agricultural use, as well as transportation and urban development projects. What remains, however, is a striking testament to the ingenuity and mathematical skill of the ancient Hopewell. Two large structures are still extant today in the Newark area: the Great Circle Earthworks, southwest of downtown Newark and abutting Ohio state route 79, and the Octagon Earthworks, south of Ohio state route 16, on property leased to Moundbuilders County Club. The Wright Earthworks State Memorial preserves an outward-facing corner of one of these lost structures. The Wright Earthworks were once a small part of a twenty-acre, square enclosure with sides running more than nine-hundred feet in length. The surviving corner includes a portion of one side of a lost, parallel embankment running northeast. It gives a taste of the grandeur of this complex series of structures, as well as a reminder of how much has been lost.Image 1: Nineteenth-century drawing of Newark Earthworks and surrounding prehistoric sites.Image 2: Detailed drawing from 1911 of earthworks, embankments and mounds near Newark, Ohio.Image 3: Detail of Wright Earthworks, now lost, and the nearby Great Circle Earthworks.
Cherry Valley Ellipse
The Cherry Valley Ellipse which is also referred to as the Cherry Valley Mound group on early maps unfortunately was destroyed but stood on this site surrounding and now underneath the railroad track.According to Brad Lepper senior archaeologist for the Ohio History Connection, “Many people assume that all Indian mounds are ancient cemeteries, but burials at the Newark Earthworks seem largely to have been concentrated in one area, a group of conical mounds surrounding a large, irregularly shaped mound at the center of an oval enclosure. This part of the site has been called the Cherry Valley Mound group. Canal excavators destroyed one of the peripheral mounds while building a lock. A contemporary newspaper account describes what the diggers turned up:"In excavating the earth for a lock pit, west of the Raccoon Creek, a large number of human bones were disturbed by the plow, deposited in a manner, I believe, altogether peculiar to this cemetry [sic]. The bones were deposited, or at least found not more than two feet below the surface of the earth, in a place where there was a slight elevation of the ground, of about thirty inches, but not sufficient to entitle it to the name of a Mound. They were all carbonized, or burnt, were of different sizes, and amounted to the number of ten or fifteen. What was peculiar in their mode of burial, was, they were all covered with a greater or less quantity of very beautiful transparent mica. One of the skeletons was completely covered with the mica, and was, it seems by way of distinction, buried a short distance from the remainder. This was a large frame, and like the rest, was carbonized. The quantity of mica would amount, according to the statement of a gentleman who present at the time of the discovery, to eight or ten bushels. The pieces were of various sizes and shapes, tho' generally triangular; the bases of some were four or five inches in length. Several specimens of this beautiful mineral substance may be seen in this town. To what race did this people belong. When did they exist? And why were the tenants of this cemetry [sic] buried with such marked distinction?" (The Advocate, Newark 1827)"The large, central mound of this group of burial mounds was curiously shaped and resembled a group of conjoined mounds. It was about one hundred and forty feet long, forty feet wide and about twenty feet high at its highest point. It was surrounded by a "cobblestone way." This mound was largely destroyed between 1852 and 1855, when the Central Ohio Railroad was built through it, although part of the largest portion was not flattened until a rolling mill was built on the site. A general idea of what this mound contained can be drawn from a newspaper article by local antiquarian J. N. Wilson (1868) along with supplementary information collected by James and Charles Salisbury (1862). At the base of the tallest section of the mound, there was a "tier of skeletons" – their heads placed together with their feet radiating outward (Salisbury and Salisbury 1862:12). Wilson observed several post molds suggesting the former presence of some sort of substantial structure, or structures possibly similar to the "Great Houses" uncovered at the bases of Tremper and Harness mounds. It is now impossible to determine how these various discoveries were associated, but it is possible that the burials were interred inside the wooden structure.The mound itself was composed of alternating layers of black loam, blue clay, sand, and cobblestones punctuated by periodic episodes of burning and burial. Artifacts found in association with numerous fragmentary burials included mica sheets, a copper "hatchet" and "quivers," large shells, beads and "other trinkets" (Wilson 1868:69). Charles Whittlesey viewed Wilson's collection of artifacts in 1868 and described additional artifacts from the "mound at rolling mill" (1868:41-43). Whittlesey sketched a "copper axe," one of "3 copper fluted ornaments," and a drilled bear canine (1868:41-42)."The Wray figurine: the Shaman of Newark"In the late 1800’s the rolling mill was torn down and workers began to dig the foundation for a new building in this area, they encountered another burial. This burial included a remarkable "stone image" initially identified as a carving of a pig by the excavators (Dragoo and Wray 1964; Mason 1882). This statuette has become known as the Wray figurine for Charles F. Wray, a former owner and co-author of the report announcing its rediscovery in 1962 (Dragoo and Wray 1964), is likely a portrait of a Hopewell leader of special importance.The figurine is a unique naturalistic rendering of a Hopewell shaman, wearing a costume made from a bear's head and hide. The figure is holding in his lap an object which is most likely a decapitated human head, but it could also be a mask or even a supernatural being such as the Flying Head of Iroquois legend. Both the shaman and the decapitated or disembodied head are wearing earspools, typically made from copper.Some Hopewell burials include isolated human skulls. Archaeologists have called these "trophy skulls" assuming they are the heads of enemies killed in battle. That may not be the correct interpretation of these heads, since there is little evidence for widespread warfare during Hopewell times.The Wray figurine shaman has his right arm across his chest and his left arm is along the side of his head. He seems to be in the act of raising or lowering the bear mask. It is as if we are witnessing the act of transformation from human to bear or bear to human. A shaman sometimes ritually transformed into a spirit animal in order to gain access to the spiritual power and knowledge of that animal. In tribal societies, the shaman served as priest, rabbi, healer, and counselor.Nicholas Cresswell visited the Delaware Indians of Coshocton in 1775. He witnessed a shamanic transformation ceremony similar to what we might imagine for the Hopewell. He wrote: "Saw an Indian Conjuror dressed in a Coat of Bearskin with a Visor mask made of wood, frightful enough to scare the Devil."Since the Wray figurine, or the Shaman of Newark, was buried beneath the bottom of this large and centrally located mound, it must be from one of the oldest burials at the site. It may be an image of one of the founders of Hopewellian Newark. Sadly, since the Hopewell culture left no written records of their achievements we will never know for certain who this person was or why he was so special to the people of ancient Newark. But the Shaman of Newark gives us a rare snapshot of a moment in the life of this enigmatic people.”
Veterans' Park Mound
A small mound stands in the northeast section of Veterans’ Park, near the corner of Sixth and Church Streets. The date and purpose of the mound are unknown, but its potential as a burial site may have inspired early settlers of Newark to utilize the surrounding plot of land as the place for their own communal burials. The settler cemetery was discontinued in 1850, yet many of those interred in the cemetery remain. One grave marker still stands on the slope of the prehistoric mound. Now a park, memorial, and cultural site for modern Newark, the Native American mound and early American cemetery add layers of history and memory to this location.Image 1: Veterans' Park photo from around 1911 with the mound and standing monument in the background.Image 2: Contemproary photogrpah of the mound and pioneer-era tombstone.
Upham-Wright Mound
The Upham-Wright House located at 342 Granville Street was built between 1849-1850 by George Upham. The home was purchased by Virgil Wright in 1868 and remained in the Wright family throughout much of the twentieth century. One of the home’s most famous residents was Mary Sherwood Jones, a nationally renowned artist. The mound was incorporated into the landscape and can be seen between the private driveway to the home and the driveway to Newark High School.
Horns Hill Moundbuilder Burial Site
This monument represents the burial site of a moundbuilder. An excavation of a mound was conducted in 1933 by E.F. Greenman curator of the archaeology of the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society. An article in the Newark Advocate on October 7, 1933, described the event. "The burial was a sub-floor internment, that is the body was placed in a grave or a crypt before the floor of the mound. in this case, the friends of the deceased Moundbuilder dug a shallow grave, placed the body apparently in a flexed position on its side, and then laboriously carried the clay, some of it from the creek bed 300 feet below, and constructed the mound.Dr. Greenman and his workmen found only a few fragments of bones. These included a small portion of the pelvis, a part of one of the leg bones, and some fragments of the ribs. A single piece of flint, apparently a broken arrowhead, was the only thing in the nature of artifacts found. The archaeologist offered it as his theory that the mound represented the burial place and monument of a tribe of Moundbuilders of the Adena culture which made a temporary camp in this section. Sometime after the burial, the tribe decided to move on to a new location, and the tribesman sank a shaft in the mound, removed the skull and more important bones, which were taken with them to their new home. Apparently, some sort of sacrificial ceremony accompanied the removal of the bones, because two layers of charcoal, each separated by a thin layer of clay, were found immediately over the burial chamber.Some evidence was found in the soil of the burial crypt indicating the position in which the body lay. Faint traces of the spinal column were recognized."In November of 1933, this monument was erected. In October 2009, the City of Newark restored and rededicated the monument.
Ferris Owen Mound
The Ferris Owen Mound presides over Evans Athletic Complex, north of Ohio State University at Newark campus off Sharon Valley Road. Originally several feet taller, the mound now stands around ten-feet high due to the agricultural activity of the past two centuries. The mound has not been excavated or dated, but was most likely built during the Adena cultural period of Ohio’s prehistory, making it more than 2,000 years old. The Adena are the oldest cultural group associated with mound construction in the Ohio Valley. The height of their culture spanned from 1000 BCE to 100 CE, followed by the Hopewell from 200 BCE to 500 CE, and then the Fort Ancient culture from 900 CE to 1750 CE.
Octagon Earthworks
This 120-acre tract of earthworks containing three structures in geometric shapes, and known collectively as the Octagon Earthworks, is sited south of Ohio state route 16 in Newark on the grounds of Moundbuilders County Club. The largest structure, the Octagon, encloses 50 acres within its eight walls. There are two accompanying circles—Observatory Circle and a much smaller circle—that complete the surviving complex. The Octagon is aligned with lunar cycles of moonrises and moonsets. The alignment, symmetry and scale of the Octagon would make it a monumental construction on its own, yet it was just one structure in a greater complex. The smaller Observatory Circle encompasses 20 acres and is connected by a wide pathway to the Octagon. The scale and measurements of the earthworks were standardized. The Observatory Circle, with a diameter of 1,054 feet, can serve as the standard by which to measure the greater earthworks complex. The distance between the center of the Observatory Circle to the center of the Great Circle is six times the diameter of Observatory Circle. The distance from the center of the Octagon Earthworks to the center of the Wright Square is also six times the diameter of the Observatory Circle, illustrating the command of mathematics and engineering that the Hopewell possessed. The Octagon Complex was used as a National Guard encampment called Camp McKinley from 1892 to1908. The city of Newark then leased the site to the Moundbuilders Country Club. Ownership of the land has passed to the Ohio History Connection, but the lease to the Mound Builders County Club has continued for more than a century. The Octagon complex remains a part of an active golf course, limiting access to the earthworks. The Octagon can be viewed from north 30th Street, the Octagon and small circle from Parkview Road, and the Observatory Circle from Moundview Avenue. There is public access to Observatory Mound behind the Licking Memorial Hospital.Image 1: Detail view of a map showing the Octagon and Observatory Circle.Image 2: Postcard of the Moundbuilders Country Club as it appeared around 1914.Image 3: Panoramic photograph of the Camp McKinley military encampment at the Octagon in 1904.
Alligator Effigy Mound
InformationThe exact creature depicted in the 217-foot, nearly acre-sized mound is unknown, yet the moniker “Alligator Mound” has remained with the site. Presiding over a hilltop view of Raccoon Creek near the village of Granville, its features include appendages that appear to be a head, tail, and four limbs, though a fifth limb has been destroyed in recent centuries. Some theories for the intended representation include an opossum, a flying squirrel and a lizard. A more recent theory offered by archaeologist Bradley Lepper is that the mound could represent an “Underwater Panther,” a Native American mythological creature that European settlers may have misinterpreted as an alligator.Originally attributed to the Hopewell culture that built the nearby Newark Earthworks, radiocarbon dating has placed the construction of Alligator Mound between 1100 and 1300 CE, more than 500 years after the decline of Hopewell culture. The site is now understood to be part of a broader cultural movement of effigy mounds constructed in the Ohio River Valley region known as the Fort Ancient culture which includes Ohio's Serpent Mound. The mound suffered from human activity such as plowing, animal grazing and recreational pursuits for more than a century. It was an attraction for locals, including children from the village who enjoyed playing on the mound. The site is currently owned by the Licking County Historical Society. The mound can be viewed from Bryn du Drive, but walking on the mound is prohibited.Image 1: Photo of "Alligator Mound" 2023.Image 1: Sketch of "Alligator Mound" as it appeared in the mid-nineteenth century.Image 2: Detail of Granville Township from 1866 Atlas of Licking County with the Alligator Effigy Mound and other Native-American sites marked.Image 3: Map of Newark and Granville with prominent mounds and earthworks.Image 4: Photo of "Alligator Mound" 2023
Dixon Mound
Dixon Mound, also known as Williams, or Williamson Mound, stands in the village of Homer. The mound is 15 feet high and 80 feet across.The village of Homer in Burlington township was founded in an area with numerous mounds and earthworks of various sizes, many of which have been lost due to recent human activity. [1]The construction era of the Dixon mound is unknown because the site has not been excavated, making the culture that built the site impossible to identify with certainty. The shape and size of the structure suggest, however, that it was built by the Adena culture (800 BCE-1 CE). Situated on South Street in Homer near the public library, the mound can be viewed from the street but it lies on private property and there is no public access. [2]The History of Licking County, Ohio by N.N. Hill which was published in 1881 had this to say about the mound;” But the largest and most entire [mound] is on the residence of Edwin Williams esq.; this has recently been measured and found to be about thirty rods [495 feet] in circumference at the base, and nearly 30 feet in height, having as usual, a hollow place at the summit, about 25 feet across. Perhaps fifty years ago, a party of five or six setters agreed to examine this mound in search of curiosities. They dug down about fifteen feet, but found nothing of value.”1. Brister, E., Centennial History of the City of Newark and Licking County, Ohio, (1909), 342-3432. Woodward and Mcdonald, Indian Mounds of the Middle Ohio Valley, (2002), 185-186
Infirmary Mound
Infirmary Mound is located about three miles south of Granville, Ohio on Ohio State Route 37. The mound now lies within Infirmary Mound Park, a 316-acre recreation area that is part of the Licking County Park District. If you follow the Google map of the park shown in the photos, you can follow the road with the yellow dots on the map back to the horse arena. There is parking just past the arena. The mound is on the other side of the arena. Recent human activity has severely damaged Infirmary Mound; decades of farming have left the mound low and severely eroded. Today it stands only 2 to 3 feet in height and is about 70 feet in diameter. The mound is difficult to discern from the surrounding terrain, appearing as a small rise near the southern edge of the park due to the cultivation of the area as farmland and the accompanying erosion. The era of the mound’s construction is unknown.Image: Detail of Granville Township from 1866 Atlas of Licking County that shows Infirmary Mound southeast of the village.
Fairmount Mound
Fairmont Mound stands just north of the National Road at Fairmount Church on a road of the same name. The mound has not been attributed to a specific period or cultural group, yet, like other Native American mounds, it has become incorporated into the modern landscape as a sacred space. Fairmont Presbyterian Church was built near the mound, and the surrounding area became a burial site for American settlers in the mid-nineteenth century. This reuse of the sacred space has helped preserve this fifteen-foot high and eighty-foot wide, prehistoric structure. The fortunate preservation of Fairmount Mound is the exception for the once numerous embankments and mounds of the surrounding area, which have been largely destroyed through human activity.Image 1: Sketch for the 1875 Atlas of Licking County of Fairmount Mound and Fairmount Church with its accompanying cemetery.Image 2: Fairmount Mound and cemetery as they appeared in 1904.
Huffman Mound or Tippett Mound
This prehistoric structure requires a bit of a hike to observe; Huffman Mound, also known as Tippet or Tippett Mound, is located within Taft Reserve, a 425-acre reserve that is part of the Licking Park District. Huffman Mound likely dates to the Adena Cultural period. This is known not only from its size and shape but also from evidence recovered at the site by an infamous amateur archaeologist in the middle of the nineteenth century. That man, David Wyrick, surveyed and sketched one of the earliest drawings of the layout of the Newark Earthworks, but he also perpetrated an archaeological hoax, creating and planting four carved stones inscribed with Hebrew markings at Native American sites in Licking County. Wyrick’s work at Huffman indicated that the site was used for burials. The excavations damaged the mound, reducing its height slightly. Today the mound is around 20 feet in height and 200 feet in diameter and, according to Susan Woodward and Jerry McDonald’s book, Indians Mounds of the Middle Ohio Valley, it should be visible from nearby hiking trails. Another mound, called Rutledge Mound, also stands within the Taft Reserve.Image 1: A sketch of Huffman (Tippett) Mound as sketched by its excavator David Wyrick in 1860.Image 2: Diagram of the excavation conducted into Huffman (Tippett) Mound around 1860 as it appeared in the 1866 Atlas of Licking County.Image 3: Map of the surrounding area from 1875 showing Huffman (Tippett) Mound, nearby Rutledge Mound, and many other ancient structures now lost due to human activity.
Flint Ridge Ancient Quarries and Nature Preserve
Flint Ridge is a geological formation covering a ten-mile stretch between eastern Licking County and western Muskingum County, just north of the National Road. Native Americans came to Flint Ridge beginning around 12,000 years ago to mine the flint to be used as arrow and spear points, drills, knives and scrapers. The area was considered neutral ground for all tribes where all were free to come and collect flint in peace.Flint mining was a very difficult process; any flint found on the surface and exposed to the elements was too fragile to be worked, but beneath the surface running one to ten feet down was good quality flint. Large hammers up to 25 pounds were used to smash wedges made of wood or bone into tiny cracks in order to break it loose and haul it to the surface. Workers then shaped this into blocks about a foot long and up to five inches wide so that it could be carried to other locations to knap into points and tools. Mining pits can still be seen today in many locations around the park.Flint from the Flint Ridge has been found as far away as northern Canada, Louisiana, Utah, Kansas and the Atlantic seaboard. It is recognizable by its bright and beautiful colors and patterns, which come out after a heat process. The first European pioneers came to value the local flint, and they used it for their flintlock rifles and tinder boxes. Workers constructing the National Road through Licking County in the early 1830s used flint scraps that they found to support the road bed.In 1933, L. H. Woddrop, owner of the Flint Ridge Mining and Manufacturing Company, donated 25-30 acres to the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society to be used as a state park. Later donations of land would grow the park to its current 533 acres. Each year on Labor Day weekend, flint-knappers from all over the country, and sometimes other countries, flock to the park for the annual Knap-In hosted by the Flint Ridge Lithic Society. Skilled knappers demonstrate how to chip the flint into spear and arrow points, thereby helping to preserve the ancient art of flint-knapping.Image 1: Examples of flint items from Hill's History of Licking County of 1881.
The Dawes Arboretum Mound
The Dawes Arboretum has nearly 2,000 beautiful acres to explore which includes a Hopewell Era mound. In 2015 the Arboretum preserved the site by cleaning up the mound and rerouting the trail allowing better access to the site. The Arboretum does have a fee for admission. Please click the link for hours of operation and tickets. https://dawesarb.orgPhotos courtesy of The Dawes Arboretum
