The Professional Agrarians is a Licking County organization with strong interests in agriculture and community. We would like to invite you to our July meeting. We are hosting a very special diner meeting on July 1, 2025. The Ohio History Connection has opened the Octagon Earthworks to the public. This historic site is at the previous location of the Moundbuilders Golf Course at 125 N. 33rd St. Newark, OH 43055.
The evening will begin with a guided walking tour of the grounds at 5:30 p.m. Dinner will be at 6:30 p.m. After dinner Jeff Gill, who was instrumental in bringing this project to fruition, will talk to our group about the earthworks. This World Heritage site will have a long-lasting impact on our community.
“What makes the Octagon Earthworks unique is that its earthen mounds and embankments functioned as an ancient astronomical observatory. In 1982, researchers from Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana realized that the earthworks formed an ancient lunar observatory designed to track the motions of the moon. When the moon is at the northernmost point of the 18.6-year cycle of its lunar orbit, it rises within one-half of a degree of the octagon’s exact center, when seen from the observatory mound. In comparison to the possible observatory functions of the Stonehenge complex, the Newark earthworks may be twice as precise.” (from Cultural Property News)
The meeting will be professionally catered and will require an RSVP. We need to know how many meals need to be prepared ahead of time. The RSVP deadline is Tuesday, June 17, 2025. To cover cost, the fee for guests for this meeting will be $20. Please RSVP to the OSU Licking County Extension Office at 740-670-5315.