US lawmakers push for Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park

January 22, 2015

A Castro,

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Ocmulgee National Monument in Macon could become the state’s first national historical park.

U.S. Representative Sanford Bishop and U.S. Representative Austin Scott re-introduced bipartisan legislation Thursday which will create Georgia’s first National Historical Park.

HR 482, the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park Boundary Revision Act of 2015, would expand the boundaries from approximately 700 acres to more than 2,000 acres. It would also change the park’s name to “Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park.” The lawmakers say the name change will increase recognition and draw additional visitors.

The bill would also authorize a resources study to expand the park even further and include additional opportunities for hunting, camping, fishing, and other recreational activities.

“Georgia’s rich cultural and archeological heritage runs deep in the red clay of our state,” Congressman Bishop said in a statement. “There are few places on earth like Ocmulgee where artifacts from the Ice Age to the modern day can be found. Creation of Georgia’s first National Historical Park here at Ocmulgee Mounds in the Macon-Bibb area will bolster the local economy with additional tourism and help preserve the important legacy of the original inhabitants of our great state.”

“Georgia continues to have one of the richest cultural heritages of any state in the country,” Congressman Scott said in a statement. “By revising the boundaries of the Ocmulgee National Monument, we can continue to preserve our state’s history so future generations can learn about and enjoy the different cultures that have occupied our land over the years and have made us who we are today.”

According to a news release from the lawmakers, property would be acquired only from willing donors or sellers, subject to the availability of funding.

The role of the Ocmulgee National Monument is to “present a story of many stages of prehistoric cultural development, emphasizing the influences of agriculture, the Mound Builder period, and the relationship of these various cultures to each other and to life today.” If the bill is passed, the monument would also protect additional cultural and natural resources in the Ocmulgee Old Fields.