There were so many people at today’s Octagon Open House that tour groups kept running into each other. Here one group is standing on Observatory Mound learning about Hopewell astronomy, while another approaches from across the Observatory Circle.

Today’s Open House at the Octagon Earthworks in Newark was a big success! It was a beautiful day and although there was no official count, two different volunteers working the event thought somewhere between 300 and 400 people showed up to experience the grandeur of the Newark Earthworks and to learn more about the ancient Hopewell culture that built this monumental ceremonial center around 2,000 years ago. If you weren’t able to attend, don’t worry. We’ll have four more Open House days next year. I’ll post the dates on this blog as soon as they’re announced. And until then, you can visit the site 365 days a year during daylight hours. But your visit will be limited to the observation platform located just north of the parking lot and a designated trail around the south side of the giant circular earthwork to a point where you can view the Observatory Mound. See you next year!

Newark Earthworks Center tour guide Jeff Gill stands with a group at the opening to the small circular enclosure located just outside the southernmost Octagon gateway. To give you a sense of the scale of this site, Stonehenge would fit comfortably within this “small” circle.

Brad Lepper