Keeping the History Alive

Brian Adams

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Colin Frick

Brian Adams, President of Ocmulgee National Park and Preserve Initiative keeping the history alive one step at a time.

The Ocmulgee Mounds is a place of history and remembrance, not only for the people of Macon, Georgia but also for the Muscogee Creek Nation.

With the help of Brian Adams, president of Ocmulgee National Park and Preserve Initiative, and the Macon community, the group has been working for 15 years to keep the history of the mounds alive and expand the park boundaries.

When it comes to the Muscogee Creek Nation,  Adams believes that the park is a key component of their history.

“It’s a part of them and their community and who they are today,” he said.

When reflecting back, Adams said it was a frustrating and slow process  to get the expansion and historic designation bill, which was signed by Congress into law in 2019.  

“We had some moments where we didn’t think it was going to pass,” Adams said.

The bill has allowed them to change the  Ocmulgee Mounds from a National Monument to a National Historical Park. It will also expand the park by 2,100 acres and protects the land from urban development.

“This place is even more special in the human history component,” Adams said.

However, the work will not simply serve as a location to visit. ONPPI park is trying to authorize study resources for an even larger expansion.

The park was created to educate visitors about the Muscogee Creek  Nation and their Culture.

“This is something that’s much bigger than any of us,” Adams said.