NEWARK, Ohio (AP) — A central Ohio country club plans to appeal an order that it sell its property to a nonprofit agency seeking to provide public access to ancient burial mounds.
The Newark Advocate reports Licking County Judge David Branstool ruled recently that Ohio History Connection can reclaim the 2,000-year-old Octagon Mounds from Moundbuilders Country Club if it can afford to pay the price a jury will set in September.
Ohio History Connection sued the club last year to buy back its lease with Moundbuilders. The U.S. Interior Department has said it won’t nominate Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, which include Octagon Mounds, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site unless the course is removed.
The president of the club’s board of trustees says the club is willing to move elsewhere if it’s paid fairly.