Ocmulgee Mounds in Macon may soon be transformed into Georgia’s first national park.
A bipartisan effort has been led to officially name the National Historic Park as the 64th National Park, which would provide it with permanent protection by the federal government.
The Muscogee Nation, the original inhabitants of the area, have been leading these efforts, along with local community advocates. Efforts to draft a bill granting the area National Park status have been pushed by Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, along with Congressmen Austin Scott and Sanford Bishop.
With over 12,000 years of continuous human occupation, dating back to prehistoric times and the Ice Age, the Mounds were built by various groups belonging to the South Appalachian Mississippian culture, which dominated Middle Georgia before colonization.
Situated on the fall line, Ocmulgee Mounds consists of a series of Earthworks that display complex craftsmanship dating back to 1,000 CE, along with prehistoric artifacts and defensive trenches dug by its inhabitants.
The most prominent Mound is the Great Temple Mound, thought to have served as a meeting place of ceremonial significance, with other mounds serving primarily as burial places and homes.
The Mounds have been a staple of Middle Georgia’s culture and history since its founding; however, it gained newfound recognition when President Franklin Roosevelt ordered the Works Progress Administration to sponsor archaeological digs on the site in 1933.
Since then, Ocmulgee Mounds have steadily risen in prominence, first being designated as a national monument in 1936 and later being officially added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. In 1997, it was officially designated as a national cultural place for Native Americans, the first to be located east of the Mississippi. In 2019, it was reclassified as a National Historic Park and more than doubled in size.
Gaining National Park status would finally conclude the nearly eight-decade long process to protect the area, and would, according to the National Park Service, bring around $206 million in revenue and increase visitation sixfold, all while expanding the areas permanently protected by the park.
The change would also bring long-needed peace of mind to the Muscogee Nation, whose members were the original inhabitants of the land before being forcefully relocated during the Trail of Tears, which resulted in the deaths of around 15,000 Native Americans.
Ocmulgee Mounds has long been a pilgrimage place for members of the Muscogee Nation, based in Okmulgee, Oklahoma.
Each year, hundreds of Muscogee people visit to connect with their history and culture. In 2019, the Muscogee Nation even purchased land near the park to maintain a presence and to support its people as they visit.
Due to the immense cultural and spiritual significance the Mounds hold to the Muskogee people, current plans would see the nation being involved in administering and running the park alongside the National Park Service.
The National Park Service released a study to Congress showing that expanding the park at the typical rate would likely be unfeasible due to financial reasons, however it proposed a scaled back plan that would still grant National Park status as an alternative.
The proposed bills are expected to go through the House and Senate in early 2024.
