U.S. House approves making Ocmulgee Monument Georgias first national historical park

WASHINGTON — Establishment of Georgia’s first national historical park has made it halfway through Congress.

On Monday, the U.S. House, in a 396-8 vote, approved the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park Boundary Revision Act, which would expand Ocmulgee National Monument near Macon and make it Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park.

The legislation passed the House last year but did not get consideration in the U.S. Senate before the 114th Congress adjourned. Companion legislation in the Senate is now in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee awaiting consideration.

“The Ocmulgee Mounds are truly a cultural and archaeological treasure,” U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Albany, said. “The site of these historic mounds has been inhabited continuously for over 17,000 years, and the ceremonial mounds and earth-lodges that exist today were built over 1,000 years ago.

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