Newark Earthworks Center hosts open house and ceremony at the Octagon

NEWARK – The public has full access to explore the Octagon Earthworks at 125 N. 33rd Street in Newark all day Sunday and Monday, April 13 – 14. These are two of only four days each year that allows such full access to the public.

Ohio State University’s Newark Earthworks Center will host an open house at the Octagon Sunday afternoon from 1 – 4 p.m. with guided tours of the site and family activities such as Native American crafts and atlatl throwing.

A ceremony to honor the 2006 Miller School Fourth Grade Classes will be at the Octagon at 4 p.m. This open house and ceremony comes nearly eight years after a group of elementary school students had the Newark Earthworks officially declared Ohio’s Prehistoric Monument with the help of a senator.

In 2005, fourth grade students at William E. Miller Elementary School in Newark, Ohio, asked the State of Ohio to recognize the Newark Earthworks as Ohio’s prehistoric monument. With the assistance of State Senator Jay Hottinger, the students testified before the Ohio Senate and the Ohio House of Representatives. Members of these two bodies accepted the students’ proposal. On June 7, 2006, Governor Bob Taft formally declared the Newark Earthworks to be Ohio’s prehistoric monument. The designation of the Newark Earthworks as Ohio’s state prehistoric monument honors the ancient Native American builders of this site. The ceremony commemorates these children, who are now high school students and well on their way to graduating into adults.

“This open house is a great opportunity to present the beauty of the Earthworks to a wider audience,” said Dr. Richard Shiels, Director of the Newark Earthworks Center, “We hope we can honor those ambitious young people with the ceremony afterwards.”

Numerous events are planned, including Native American arts and crafts, guided tours, and Atlatl throwing. Atlatl throwing involves using a primitive prehistoric tool to throw spears across hundreds of feet at high speed.  An official center of The Ohio State University, the Newark Earthworks Center strives to protect and preserve Ohio’s ancient earthworks, and recognize Native American Indian achievements, past and present through public education projects. The Newark Earthworks are part of the Ohio Historical Society’s system of historic sites and museums across Ohio and are located at the Newark Earthworks State Memorial in Newark, Ohio.

For more information, contact the Newark Earthworks Center at (740) 345-8224 or earthworks@osu.edu

Category: Education