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1874 | A second huge cut for a railroad (still in use) is excavated through
the mound area and destroys a large portion of the Funeral Mound.
According to Charles C. Jones, in his book, Antiquities of the
Southern Indians, many relics and human burials are removed
during this work.
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1900 | Despite continued hardships after their removal and the loss of
much of their lands after it was divided into allotments, citizens of the
once-mighty Muscogee (Creek) Confederacy continue to carve a
life for themselves in Oklahoma, where they remain a proud and
sovereign people.
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1933 | A large portion of McDougal Mound is removed to use as fill dirt
for Main Street. Motorcycle hill-climbing leaves scars on the slopes
and summit of the Great Temple Mound.
A group of local citizens are convinced that the mounds are of
great historical significance and should be preserved. Led by General
Walter A.Harris, Dr. Charles C. Harrold, and Linton Solomon, they
seek assistance from the Smithsonian Institution, which sends Dr. Arthur
Kelly to organize and conduct archeological excavations on the Macon
Plateau.
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1934 |
Archeological treasures are unearthed. As the work progresses,
a bill is passed by Congress to authorize establishment of a 2,000-acre
Ocmulgee National Park.
The archeological effort is largest excavation ever, until this time,
undertaken in the country. Labor is provided by hundreds of workers
employed under several Great Depression-era public works programs.
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1936 |
President Franklin D. Roosevelt on December 12th signs the
Proclamation establishing Ocmulgee National Monument and directing
the National Park Service to preserve and protect 2,000 acres of "lands
commonly known as the Old Ocmulgee Fields..." Due to economic
constraints, only 678.48 are acquired, including 40 acres at the
detached Lamar Mounds and Village.
Later, an additional 5 acres are added to the Lamar Mounds
and Village Unit and the parcel known as Drakes Field is donated to
the nation for inclusion in Ocmulgee National Monument by the City of
Macon. The park presently encompasses 702 acres.
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1940 | Great Depression Relief-era crewmen, including members of Civilian
Conservation Corps Company 1426 stationed at Ocmulgee National
Monument,are drafted into military service as the United States enters
World War II. Man are sent to nearby Camp Wheeler which becomes
the largest infantry training camp in the nation.
Read more about the history of Camp Wheeler
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1960's | An interstate highway (I-16), constructed through the Macon Plateau
Unit, cuts the primary visitor use area off from the park's mile-long river
boundary and causes significant hydrological changes to lands located
in the river floodplain. During archeological excavation within the
highway corridor inside the park, evidence of Muscogee (Creek) and
earlier settlement, along with three human burials, are discovered.
A number of important prehistoric and historic sites outside the
park are destroyed or heavily damaged, including the nearby
Gledhill I, II and III (where an Ice Age Clovis spearpoint is found
by an artifact collector during removal of fill dirt for road construction),
along with the New Pond site, Adkins mound, and Shellrock Cave.
Archaic, Woodland, Mississippian and historic Creek villages and
campsites across the river, such as Mile Track, Napier, Mossy Oak
and Horseshoe Bend, are already damaged by levee construction in
the 1940's.
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1970's | The Swift Creek Mounds and Village, type-site for a widespread
Woodland Period culture, is destroyed for construction of a Bibb
County Sheriff's Department firing range. Dr. Kelly's early archeological
collections, still under the care of the National Park Service, are all
that remain of this large site, which was located on the Ocmulgee Old
Fields near the Lamar Village Unit of Ocmulgee National Monument.
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1986 | Ocmulgee National Monument celebrates it's 50th anniversary
with a year-long series of special events. The new Discovery Lab is
dedicated and its Teachers Guide made available to area schools.
The Lab is visited by representatives from museums and educational
centers from across the Southeast and the idea subsequently becomes
widely emulated.
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1988 | The National Park Service presents the Freeman Tilde Award, its
highest commendation for interpretive and educational excellence, to
the Occur National Monument staff. The same year, the park also
receives a national award from the Secretary of the Interior recognizing
its efforts to educate the public concerning the importance of good
stewardship for the nation's public lands.
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1992 | Descendants of Roger and Eliazar McCall donate almost 300 acres,
adjoining the park's Walnut Creek boundary, to the National Park
Service. The Archeological Conservancy accepts ownership pending
legislation to incorporate it into Ocmulgee National Monument. The land,
owned by this family for almost 175 years, has been designated the
Scott-McCall Archeological Preserve.
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1997 | The Old Ocmulgee Fields are determined eligible to become the first
National Register of Historic Places listing for a Traditional Cultural
Property, or District, east of the Mississippi River. This distinction
recognizes the area's great cultural significance to the Muscogee (Creek)
people and its Ice Age to Space Age legacy.
Read more about the Muscogee (Creek) Nation today
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Present |
The park's staff, the Ocmulgee National Monument Association,
the Friends of Ocmulgee Old Fields, and the park's many
volunteers remain dedicated to the mission of protecting and
preserving this very special place for the enjoyment of today's citizens
and future generations.
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