Bid to upgrade Ocmulgee National Monument passes House of Representatives

A proposal to make the Ocmulgee National Monument a national historic park passed the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

The bill would expand the boundaries of the site from about 700 acres to more than 2,800 acres. The name change would increase name recognition and draw additional visitors, backers say, and the bill would authorize a resources study to expand the park even further and include more opportunities for hunting, camping and fishing.

The bill now goes on to the Senate for consideration.

"The Ocmulgee mounds are one of the archaeological and cultural treasures of Georgia," U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop said in a statement. "Today's bipartisan passage of the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historic Park Boundary Revision Act is a win for the historic preservation of the Ocmulgee Mounds and the economy of Middle Georgia!"

"Our legislation is a welcomed example of what can be achieved when a local community, state leaders, and members of Congress, from both sides of the aisle, collaborate towards a worthy goal, and today's vote marks an important milestone in many years of effort to bring about increased recognition and enhanced cultural preservation of the Ocmulgee National Monument," U.S. Rep. Austin Scott added.

The expanded park would generate tourist revenue for Macon and surrounding areas, proponents say, while educating visitors that different cultures occupied the land for thousands of years.

The mounds and earth lodges that the Mississippians built to serve as formal council chambers when they arrived in Macon around 900 A.D. remain intact.

The Ocmulgee National Monument was originally authorized by Congress in 1934 to protect a fraction of the lands commonly known as the Old Ocmulgee Fields.

The legislation envisioned a large park of about 2,000 acres but residents could finance the acquisition of only 678 acres by the time it opened in 1936. Today, the Ocmulgee National Monument contains 702 acres.

On October 10, 2014, the measure was endorsed by the Inter-Tribal Council of the Five Civilized Tribes (Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek), and Seminole Nations), representing over 500,000 Indian people throughout the United States.

This story was originally published March 22, 2016 at 3:01 PM with the headline "Bid to upgrade Ocmulgee National Monument passes House of Representatives ."