Explore the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park at Bike Party!

Blog by Parneeta Mohapatra, Bike Walk Macon Fall 2021 Intern

We hope you’ll join us at Bike Party this Thursday, September 9th to explore the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail and Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park, a historical monument right in our backyards! 

Photo by Jessica Whitley

This prehistoric Native American site has evidence of over 17,000 years of continuous human habitation, and the artifacts throughout this period are still present today. The platform mounds were built during the occupation of the South Appalachian Mississippian culture. These mounds supported several structures, including houses, temples, and lodges. This site is the only place in North America where you can see spiral mounds, with a spiral staircase oriented toward the floodplain, a structure unique to Mississippian-culture. The park also includes the Earth Lodge, where the indigenous people conducted community meetings and important ceremonies. 

When the Spanish conquistadors explored through the Southern United States in 1539 C.E. , they brought many diseases that nearly wiped out the people who inhabited this site. Society crumbled in this area until about 1600 C.E., when the Muscogee Nation began to inhabit this site. They considered the ancient Mississippian mounds at Ocmulgee to be sacred. The Muscogee lived on the Macon Plateau until their forced removal by President Andrew Jackson in 1836.

Image from Britannica

During this week’s Bike Party, we will set out to explore the history of these mounds with Bill Causey, a friend and local bike enthusiast. To see a map of the bike path, click here. Check in will be at the Mill Hill Community Arts Center at 213 Clinton Street. We will meet at 6 pm, share updates about the trail, and begin the ride at 6:30 pm. The ride will end back at the Mill Hill Community Arts Center by 7:30 pm. 

Don’t forget to check out our other Bike Parties in the fall!