Ocmulgee National Monument: A Point of Historical Convergence

Ocmulgee National Monument: A Point of Historical

Convergence
Chelsea DeLeon
https://tinyurl.com/zy5vqlh
February 5, 2017
University of Florida
Ocmulgee National Monument: A Point of Historical Convergence
2

Location, Accessibility, and Activities

Macon, Georgia is centrally located city on the central Georgia plateau.
Located near downtown Macon and the Ocmulgee River is the Ocmulgee
National Monument, a national park and
a central historical center in Macon,
Georgia. The Ocmulgee National
Monument is open seven days a week
and every day of the year with the
exception of Christmas and New Years
Day. Entrance to the Monument is free
from 9am to 5pm every day. The
monument is easily accessible and is an
affordable local park offering free
community outreach activities, hiking
trails, and local historical education
opportunities.
The park is a moderately sized
area surrounded by urban development
in south Macon. The visitors center is
prominent at the entrance of the park
that includes various historical and
interactive exhibits of excavated findings
from Paleo, Archaic, Woodland, and
Mississippian, Native American cultures Ocmulgee National Monument Visitor's Center
dating back to 9000 BCE. The park
includes a reconstructed Earth Lodge, a Village site, Prehistoric Trenches, a
Trading Post site, Temple Mounds, and Funeral mounds that provide visitors
with a variety of activities to become familiar with local Native cultures and
history.
For additional information visit www.nps.gov/ocmu, call (478) 752-
8257, or write to Ocmulgee national Monument 1207 Emery Highway,
Macon, Georgia 31217.

Visitor Attractions
Visitors at the Ocmulgee National Monument seem to visit for a variety
of reasons. Macon doesnt have many public parks or hiking trains available
to the public. The Ocmulgee National Monument serves Maconites as a place
to hike and get some much needed outdoor exercise with their families and
dogs near the Ocmulgee River and Walnut Creek Wetlands. During my visit
Ocmulgee National Monument: A Point of Historical Convergence
3

on a Saturday afternoon most visitors were

engaged in hiking and walking with their
families.
The Ocmulgee National Monument visitor
center provides a small museum with family
friendly hands-on exhibits that provides
information about local flora and fauna, and
Macon history back to Paleo-Indians around
9000 BCE. Exhibits range from small scale
models, displays of pottery and pottery
fragments, Native American dress, natural
history exhibits, full scale Native living
quarters, and historical videos. I was
accompanied by a close friend and his two children ages three and eight. I
was surprised to see how engaged each of
Figure 3 Small Scale Model of Earth Lodge
being utilized for its original purpose. them were with the small models, and
hands-on exhibits.
The visitor center is also a gathering point for local lectures, classes,
and guest-speakers. On the Saturday I visited we were fortunate enough to
listen to a lecture by a Civil War reenactor who was giving a presentation on
Georgias African Brigade that was recruited by Union troops during the civil
war in honor of Black History Month. The lecture was attended by
approximately twenty people. The visitor center also offers nature classes for
children, and Lantern tours in honor of Macons most famous local event the
Cherry Blossom Festival.

Figure 2 Natural History

Hands-On Exhibit of Local
Fauna
Ocmulgee National Monument: A Point of Historical Convergence
4

Past the visitor center is a well-defined and neat walkway that leads
visitors to the reconstruction of a ceremonial Earth Lodge. The Earth Lodge
was most likely a meeting place for town political and religious leaders.
Visitors can enter the Earth Lodge through a small tunnel walk-way and get
an inside view of what a Mississippian Earth Lodge construction would have
looked like. The red clay floor is hard packed to form seating areas and a fire
pit. The roof is constructed using wooden beams and packed earth. Its cool
inside and one can imagine the
Figure 4 Entrance to the Reconstructed
ambiance that would have existed when Earth Lodge
only lit by firelight.
Past the Earth Lodge is a pathway that leads visitors on a pleasant
walk on a concrete walk that leads past the Village site, trading post site, and
on towards the Southeast Mound. The Southeast mound is the largest and is
accessible by climbing approximately three flights of stairs. At the top is a
leveled grassy plain from which you can see the Ocmulgee River, Walnut
Creek Wetlands, and downtown Macon.

Mission, History, and

Current State of Affairs
The Ocmulgee National Monument
claims to have been inhabited for the past
17,000 years, its mission is to preserve
cultural and natural resources for future
generations (United States, National Park
Service). It was established on December 23,
1936 as a part of The National Park
Service and is operated and organized by
the U.S. Department of the Interior and is
supported by the federal government and
local donors. The monument is operated by
park rangers, some of whom live on site,
and local volunteers.
Upon visiting the Monument I spoke with a local volunteer who gave a
lecture on Georgias Civil War African Brigade. As a volunteer, and local
history enthusiast, Lonny Davis enjoys researching his own family history as
well as the local history of Americans of African descent in Macon, Georgia.
Davis expressed the importance of the Ocmulgee National Monument to me
by saying that in order to move forward as a nation we should appreciate all
histories and heritages that have contributed to our modern culture (L.
Davis, personal communication, February 4, 2017). Davis also emphasized
Ocmulgee National Monument: A Point of Historical Convergence
5

that it is important to have a gathering place, like the Ocmulgee National

Park, to gather and share a common history in order to have peaceful
discords about potentially painful pasts that have lead
us to our current societal development. Davis talk was
in honor of Black History Month and he takes personal
pride in the role Americans of African descent have
played in shaping southern and Macon history. (L.
Davis, personal communication, February 4, 2017).
It seems that that the Monuments greatest
success is providing locals with an infrastructure that
promotes safe outdoors exercise along with free
activities. The monument also serves as a historical
center in Macon, Georgia that allows locals to see the
true history of Macon from
Figure 5 Largest Burial Mound facing the Ocmulgee River
pre-historic times, the impact
of the Civil War, and into
todays contemporary society.
However, the greatest
challenge the Monument
faces to date is securing
funding from local donors, and
state and federal bureaus to
expand, and improve
community outreach and
infrastructure.

Art Educational Connections

The Ocmulgee National Monument has a vast display of a variety of
Native American Pottery and china from early settlers. The Ocmulgee
National Monument would be a fantastic destination to take students to
study the early importance of pottery, unique pottery decorations of the
Figure 6 One of many Creek Indians native to Macon, Georgia, and to study
Native American pottery Native American Architecture in context to art history.
exhibits.
Students could visit the visitor center and have tour
from Park Rangers and then explore the Earth Lodge and Burial Mounds. As a
culminating activity students could use local clay and create their own Native
American inspired pottery using Creek pottery decorations as inspiration.
Ocmulgee National Monument: A Point of Historical Convergence
6

References

Davis, L. (February 4, 2017). Personal interview.

United States. National Park Service. (n.d.). What We Do (U.S. National Park

Service). Retrieved February 05, 2017, from

https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/index/htm

Author Note

Special thanks to Lonny Davis, a local Macon volunteer at the Ocmulgee

National Monument and historical enthusiast.