The National Park Service (NPS) today announced Macon-Bibb County and the Macon Housing Authority have donated several land parcels near the Davis Homes community totaling 3.62 acres to Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park. The Ocmulgee National Park and Preserve Initiative and National Park Foundation provided additional support to complete the land transfer.
The 2019 John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act (Public Law 116-9) nearly quadrupled the park’s authorized boundary, then at 701 acres. This acquisition increases the park’s boundary to approximately 1860 acres.
“Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park is a memorial to more than 12,000 years of continuous human habitation by multiple Indigenous cultures and peoples," said Carla Beasley, superintendent of Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park. “We are grateful to Macon-Bibb County, Macon Housing Authority, the Ocmulgee National Park and Preserve Initiative, and National Park Foundation for their on-going support to preserve the rich history of this area."
The newly acquired area contains evidence of one of the longest periods of human habitation in a relatively small area. The 3.62 acres are situated within the Ocmulgee Old Fields, also known as the Macon Reserve, a three-by-five-mile site revered as a sacred place to Muskogean people. The Ocmulgee Old Fields-Macon Reserve is comprised of lands specifically retained by the Muscogee (Creek) Nation from 1805 until the 1826 Treaty of Washington and other treaties that culminated in removing Muskogean people from their ancestral home to present-day Oklahoma. Reserving this land from major development provides opportunities to tell a more complete story of American history. The triumphs and tragedies of those who called this area home for thousands of years continue to shape our lives today and define our collective heritage.
Tags: partnerships cultural landscapes
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service