Former Ohio tribal site where golfers play is changing hands — but the price is up to the jury

NEWARK, Ohio – The Ohio historical society is one step closer to gaining control of ancient ceremonial and burial earthworks maintained by a country club where members play golf beside the mounds.

A trial was scheduled to begin Tuesday to determine how much the historical society should pay for the site, which is among eight ancient sites in the Hopewell Earthworks system named a World Heritage Site last year.

Built between 2,000 and 1,600 years ago by people of the Hopewell Culture, the earthworks were the site of ceremonies that drew people from across the continent, based on archaeological discoveries of raw materials as far west as the Rocky Mountains.

Ohio History Connection, owner of the 2,000-year-old Octagon Earthworks in Newark in central Ohio, won a ruling from the state Supreme Court a year and a half ago allowing it to recover a lease held by Moundbuilders Country Club so that he could transform the place into a public park.

The historical society has estimated the value of the site at about $2 million, while the country club is seeking a much higher return.

Native Americans built the earthworks, including eight long earthen walls, that correspond to the lunar movements and align with the points where the moon rises and sets throughout the 18.6-year lunar cycle.

The Ohio History Connection calls them “part cathedral, part cemetery, and part astronomical observatory.”

Numerous tribes, some with historic ties to Ohio, want the earthworks preserved as examples of the accomplishments of indigenous peoples.

In 1892, voters in neighboring Licking County enacted a tax increase to preserve what remained of the earthworks. The area was developed as a golf course in 1911, and the state first leased the 134-acre property to the Moundbuilders Country Club in the 1930s.

A county judge ruled in 2019 that the historical society can claim the lease through eminent domain.

The club disputed the attempt to take the property, saying the Ohio History Connection did not make a good faith offer to purchase the property as required by state law. The country club says it has provided proper maintenance of the mound and allowed public access over the years.

The club suffered another legal blow when the trial court rejected evidence it had hoped to present about the value of the land. The club appealed the decision to the state Supreme Court, which refused jurisdiction.