Newark in Licking County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

The Builders

Photographed by Craig Doda, May 3, 2025

1. The Builders Marker

Inscription.
Just before the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago there was a drive to find artifacts that highlighted North American cultures. This led to the excavation of a site near Chillicothe on land recently purchased by Mordecai Hopewell. The finds were spectacular, and the name "Hopewell" stuck. Marti Chaatsmith, a citizen of the Comanche Nation, notes: "We can't know what the earthwork builders who labored here, who crafted beautiful objects to leave with their beloved kin, who sculpted the earth into enduring monuments, called themselves… but we know it wasn't 'Hopewell.' (It's) a colonial imposition on a sacred Indigenous place. Names define things in our world. Names have power. Many tribes have names in their Indigenous languages that mean 'The People.' The names of groups are often related to a particular trait or skill…When a person receives a name, it often occurs in a ceremony with relatives in attendance. We don't know the language of the earthwork builders, but we can be sure that this significance of naming would apply to places, especially sacred places"

Erected by Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks

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/ Ohio History Connection / unesco World Heritage Site.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Indigenous Peoples and Communities. A significant historical year for this entry is 1893.

Location. 40° 3.191′ N, 82° 26.788′ W. Marker is in Newark, Ohio, in Licking County. It is at the intersection of North 33rd Street and Parkview Road, on the left when traveling north on North 33rd Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 125 N 33rd St, Newark OH 43055, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Columbus Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American Midwest,

in the Corn Belt,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: History of the Site (here, next

Photographed by Craig Doda, May 3, 2025

2. The Builders Marker

to this marker); a different marker also named The Builders (here, next to this marker); a different marker also named History of the Site (here, next to this marker); Experience Ancient Brilliance (here, next to this marker); The Earthworks (here, next to this marker); Astronomical Alignments (here, next to this marker); Chief Glenna J. Wallace (here, next to this marker); a different marker also named Octagon Earthworks (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Newark.

Other markers no longer nearby. History of the Site (was here, next to this marker but has been permanently removed); a different marker also named The Builders (was here, next to this marker but has been permanently removed); The Newark Earthworks (was here, next to this marker but has been permanently removed); The Octagon (was here, next to this marker but has been permanently removed); The Circle (was here, next to this marker but has been permanently removed); Octagon Earthworks (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

Photographed by Craig Doda, May 3, 2025

3. The Builders Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on May 11, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 9, 2025, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. This page has been viewed 84 times since then and 10 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 9, 2025, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.