The Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT) was recently honored with a plaque presentation in recognition of the department's donation of 136 acres of land to Georgia’s Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park — marking a meaningful step forward in preserving one of Georgia's most significant cultural and historical sites.

The newly donated acreage lies within the Ocmulgee River corridor and represents land that was historically occupied and stewarded by the Muscogee (Creek) people before their forced dispossession ahead of the Trail of Tears. The property, acquired by Georgia DOT in 1998 for wetland mitigation related to the Fall Line Freeway in Twiggs County, has remained undeveloped. Its transfer to the National Park Service helps further the preservation of sacred and historically significant landscapes.
 
The plaque presentation was made during the monthly State Transportation Board meeting on Thursday, July 17, by Jacob Collins, Tribal Liaison with the National Park Service. The plaque was presented to State Transportation Board chair Ann R. Purcell and board members Cathy Williams and Tim Golden on behalf of the State Transportation Board and Georgia DOT. 
 
"On behalf of the National Park Services and Ocmulgee Mounds National Historic Park, I'm honored to present this plaque as a small token of our deep appreciation to the Georgia Department of Transportation," said Collins at the presentation. "Today, we recognize the significance of this milestone with the donation of land by Georgia DOT to the park. This gift is more than acreage, and represents the preservation of sacred ground. Ocmulgee Mounds hold profound cultural and historical significance to many tribal nations. It is a landscape shaped by generations of stewardship and a place of deep ancestral connection. Thanks to Georgia DOT, this land will now be permanently protected, interpreted, and honored as part of Ocmulgee Mounds National Historic Park."

"We, the Board, would like to say thank you. It is our pleasure to help protect and preserve our history here in the state of Georgia so that the public can enjoy what was and what still is," said Purcell. "I have to recognize our whole Georgia DOT family because without them this would have never happened, and it shows the interest that we have in Georgia’s historic and cultural heritage."
 
The 136-acre donation supports the park's ongoing expansion and efforts to gain designation as Georgia's first national park and preserve. The transfer reflects a collaborative effort between Georgia DOT, the National Park Service, and tribal leaders committed to honoring and protecting the ancestral lands of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.

Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park, located in Macon, Georgia, preserves thousands of years of human history and remains a place of deep cultural significance for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and other Indigenous peoples.