Columbus, OH

One of the things that is great about Ohio is our amazing park system. Anytime you want to experience a mix of natural beauty and ancient history, just head east out of Columbus to the city of Newark, home of the Octagon and Great Circle Mounds.

The Octagon Mound, while owned by the Ohio Historical Socitey, is on the leased property of the Moundbuilders Country Club. Visitors simply need to view from a platform near the parking lot, or make arrangements with the club to visit the mounds. Built by the Hopewell people around two thousand years ago, with its amazingly accurate lunar alignment, the Octagon is believed to have been ceremonial in nature.

Nearly identical earthworks are also to be found in the Chillicothe area, over 90 minutes away by car, an amazing feat for an ancient people. The two sites were once connected by a walled area now referred to as the “Great Hopewell Road.”

The Great Circle Mound, or “Moundbuilders Park” as it is known to the locals, is a full-time state park, so you don’t need to make special arrangements to see it. The mound is a near perfect circle, over four football fields across inside. The mound is built up, with a trench from which the earth was dug, running alond the inside. Inside there are two smaller mounds, which resemble an Eagle and a crescent moon. The remains of a few smaller, secondary mounds are still on the property as well.

Several theories have come to light as to the reason for the mounds, from burial to protection, but the leading theory now is that the Great Circle Mound was also ceremonial in nature. (In the late 19th. and early 20th. century the Great Circle even served as a fairground.) Over the summer the Ohio Historical Society hosts educational programs here on the Hopewell and Adena people. There was also a museum on site, but it has been closed.

Two other sites exist in the Newark area, they are protected, but nearly gone, if you are able take a drive by the Wright earthworks, only a block from the Great Circle. A single mound is also preserved at the T.J. Evans athletic complex on the city’s north side.

Good to Know Before You Go

The Newark area is about 45 minutes east of Columbus. It has plenty of hotels and restaurants, and is easily accessable.

Parking and admission to both sites is free. They are open dawn to dusk April 1 through Labor Day.

These are revered, historic sites, please be respectful.