Ohio Historical Connection reaches deal with Moundbuilders Country Club
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio’s historical society announced a deal Thursday that will allow it to take control of an ancient ceremonial and burial earthworks site located on the site of Moundbuilders Country Club. The legal battle over the Octagon Earthworks in Newark had been ongoing for over a decade.
Ohio History Connection, formerly the Ohio Historical Society, will pay Moundbuilders Country Club in Newark to buy out its lease and end the long-running legal dispute. The sum of the payment is confidential under a settlement agreement. The deal avoids a jury trial to determine the site’s fair market value.
The Octagon Earthworks are among eight ancient areas in the Hopewell Earthworks system. The historical society, a nonprofit state history organization, will take control of them on Jan. 1, 2025 and plans to open them to visitors. Moundbuilders intends to operate the private country club until Dec. 31, an attorney representing Moundbuilders noted.
“Our guiding principles throughout this process have been to enable full public access to the Octagon Earthworks while ensuring Moundbuilders Country Club receives just compensation for the value of its lease on the property,” said Megan Wood, executive director and CEO of the Ohio History Connection. “And now we have accomplished those things.”
David Kratoville, president of the country club’s board of trustees, said he has mixed feelings about coming to the end of the legal battle. He said negotiations over the past two months finally landed on a figure “that allows us to survive,” but the future of the club remains in limbo.
According to the Newark Advocate, Moundbuilders reached an agreement with the Trout Club to purchase the Newark property by the end of the 2024. This will give Moundbuilders a place to continue
“For me, the news will be where do we land after 114 years operating on this site,” Kratoville said.
For more information on the historical connection, Moundbuilders Country Club, and previous court dealings between the club and the Ohio Historical Society, click HERE