Honoring the one-year anniversary of the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks’ inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list, the Newark Earthworks will hold a commemoration on Saturday, Sept.  21.

The day will begin with unveiling a plaque and several brief speeches by Ohio History Connection (OHC) CEO Megan Wood, Newark Mayor Jeff Hall and Heath Mayor Mark Johns. 

After guided tours at 11:45 a.m., volunteer tour guide Jeff Gill — a columnist for The Reporting Project — will lead the Remnants Walking Tour from 1-4 p.m. This brings visitors outside of the Great Circle and Octagon, and into town where more earthwork remnants lie in backyards, alleys and neighborhoods. Throughout the day, there will also be atlatl spear-throwing and earthwork-building demonstrations.

This drawing from the mid-1800s shows the footprint of the Newark Earthworks — Octagon Mound in the upper left corner and the Great Circle Mound centered in the lower portion of the image. Credit: Whittlesey, Squier & Davis

Events will also be held at Fort Ancient Earthworks on Sept.  19, exactly one year after representatives from around the world gathered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to witness the designation. Seven hours ahead of Ohio, the eight earthworks were accepted as Ohio’s first World Heritage Site.

Read more: “There’s peace here” — The Newark Earthworks is designated a World Heritage Site

For Jen Aultman, chief historic sites officer for the Ohio History Connection, that day remains surreal. 

“We had to work so hard to make it a slam dunk, so I was thrilled and moved when Chief Glenna Walace spoke right after the inscription,” Aultman said. “We all had tears in our eyes. I mean, how could you not?”

Read more: Ancient Brilliance — An open house at the Newark Earthworks celebrates UNESCO World Heritage designation

Most important, Aultman said, was the collaboration with descendants of the people who built the earthworks. OHC collaborates with many tribal nations to build an understanding of how to accurately reflect the stories and cultural significance of the land. Upcoming projects, including the restoration of the Octagon Earthworks, are being planned with consultation from tribal leaders.

Many questions have been raised about the plans to restore the Octagon Earthworks — owned by the OHC since 1933 but leased to the Moundbuilders Country Club as a golf course since 1910 — to its most authentic landscape. 

Read more: Settlement in the works? Trial to determine value of Moundbuilders Country Club lease of Octagon Mound is delayed

“What stories are being told? What’s important to tell people about the ancestors and these places and what happened here? How do we manage the land? How do we manage the forests?” Aultman asked. “What’s the right way to take a golf course and turn it back into an earthwork landscape?”

Ohio History Connection takes full possession of the Octagon on January 1, 2025. That same day, the Octagon is expected to open for public tours. It will be a long time until landscaping at the Octagon is completed, but Aultman is hopeful that visitors from around the world will continue to be curious, think deeply about their experiences and connect to these earthly wonders.

“I always say, just come visit.” Aultman said. “It’s just really incredible to think how much human effort went into building these places and how important they must have been to the people who built them.”

Mia Fischel writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.