Current:Home > FinanceRobert Brown|Ohio historical society settles with golf club to take back World Heritage tribal site -Clarity Finance Guides
Robert Brown|Ohio historical society settles with golf club to take back World Heritage tribal site
Charles Langston View
Date:2025-04-08 06:21:28
COLUMBUS,Robert Brown Ohio (AP) — Ohio’s historical society announced a deal Thursday that will allow it to take control of an ancient ceremonial and burial earthworks site long located on the site of a golf course.
Ohio History Connection will pay Moundbuilders Country Club in Newark to buy out its lease and end the long-running legal dispute over the Octagon Earthworks, although the sum is confidential under a settlement agreement. The deal avoids a jury trial to determine the site’s fair market value that had been repeatedly postponed over the years.
The Octagon Earthworks are among eight ancient areas in the Hopewell Earthworks system that were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site last year. The historical society, a nonprofit state history organization, takes control of them Jan. 1 and plans to open them to visitors.
“Our guiding principles throughout this process have been to enable full public access to the Octagon Earthworks while ensuring Moundbuilders Country Club receives just compensation for the value of its lease on the property,” said Megan Wood, executive director and CEO of the Ohio History Connection. “And now we have accomplished those things.”
Charles Moses, president of the organization’s board of trustees, said the History Connection is excited for the location to be “fully open to the citizens of Ohio — and the world.”
Built between 2,000 and 1,600 years ago by people from the Hopewell Culture, the earthworks were host to ceremonies that drew people from across the continent, based on archeological discoveries of raw materials from as far west as the Rocky Mountains.
Native Americans constructed the earthworks, including eight long earthen walls, that correspond to lunar movements and align with points where the moon rises and sets over the 18.6-year lunar cycle. The History Connection calls them “part cathedral, part cemetery and part astronomical observatory.”
The historical society owns the disputed earthworks site, but it had been leased to the country club for decades. History Connection had put the value of the site at about $2 million, while the country club was seeking a much higher amount.
In 1892, voters in surrounding Licking County enacted a tax increase to preserve what was left of the earthworks. The area was developed as a golf course in 1911, and the state first deeded the 134-acre property to Moundbuilders Country Club in 1933.
A county judge ruled in 2019 that the historical society could reclaim the lease via eminent domain. But the club challenged the attempt to take the property, saying the History Connection didn’t make a good faith offer to purchase the property as required by state law. The country club argued that it had provided proper upkeep of the mound and allowed public access over the years — albeit only a few days a year.
A message was left with the country club’s board president seeking comment.
veryGood! (58193)
Related
- The White House is cracking down on overdraft fees
- Senators urge Biden to end duty-free treatment for packages valued at less than $800
- Biden tells governors he’s eyeing executive action on immigration, seems ‘frustrated’ with lawyers
- Body of nursing student found on a University of Georgia campus; police questioning person of interest
- Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
- Biden administration restores Trump-rescinded policy on illegitimacy of Israeli settlements
- New Jersey beefs up its iconic Jersey Shore boardwalks with $100M in repair or rebuilding funds
- Barry Keoghan Praises Sabrina Carpenter After She Performs Duet With Taylor Swift
- Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
- A search warrant reveals additional details about a nonbinary teen’s death in Oklahoma
Ranking
- See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
- Rangers' Matt Rempe, Flyers' Nicolas Deslauriers get into lengthy NHL fight
- Some Arizona customers to see monthly fees increase for rooftop solar, advocates criticize rate hike
- What's Making Us Happy: A guide to your weekend viewing and reading
- Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
- Former Cowboys receiver Golden Richards, known for famous Super Bowl catch, dies at 73
- Helicopter crashes in wooded area of northeast Mississippi
- Will Caitlin Clark go pro? Indiana Fever fans await Iowa star's WNBA draft decision
Recommendation
Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
Guinness strips title from world's oldest dog after 31-year-old age questioned
So many sanctions on Russia. How much impact do they really have?
Man who uses drones to help hunters recover deer carcasses will appeal verdict he violated laws
Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
So many sanctions on Russia. How much impact do they really have?
Accio Harry Potter TV Series: Find Out When New Show Will Premiere
GM suspends sales of Chevy Blazer EV due to quality issues