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To listen to an interview about Ocmulgee that information videos about the site but he
Jennings gave to Georgia Public Broadcasting’s acknowledges there is plenty we don’t know about
“On Second Thought” program, go to gpbnews.org/post Ocmulgee.
mystery-behind-ocmulgee-national-monument.
“For a long time it was assumed that more
MGA colleague Dr. Stephen Taylor he published ‘advanced’ newcomers simply displaced their
another Arcadia text on the history of Macon. ‘primitive’ neighbors, perhaps even conquered
them,” Jennings says. “Recent research by
One of his current writing projects, various scholars indicates that a diverse,
scheduled to be published by Mercer multiethnic community developed, blending
University Press in 2018, is a more detailed history some aspects of what came before and the culture
of Ocmulgee, focusing on the moments at which of the newcomers. Cutting-edge archaeological
significant numbers of Muscogee (Creek) Native and historical research carries the potential to
Americans visited Macon. deepen our understanding.”

The book, Ocmulgee: A New Concise History In addition to teaching and researching, Jennings
and Writer’s Notebook, will include Jennings’s serves as coordinator of Undergraduate Research for
history of the site along with related poetry and MGA’s Office of Experiential Learning. Promoting
stories by Gordon Johnston, director of Creative research by undergraduates is one of the pillars of
Writing at Mercer. MGA’s Experiential Learning@MGA initiative. Learn more at
www.mga.edu/knowledgeatwork.
As Jennings completes his first decade at
MGA, Ocmulgee National Monument remains an
abundant source of research and wonder for him.
He avoids using the “Mysteries of the Mounds”
phrase that often shows up in publications and

Some of Jennings’s books in the Ocmulgee National Monument gift shop. Jennings and his wife, Susan, along with their sons Henry,
11, and Oliver, 9, are frequent visitors to Ocmulgee. His sons are not well versed in the site’s history but they do enjoy seeing their dad’s
books in the gift shop. They also love attending the annual Ocmulgee Indian Celebration, with which Jennings helps out. JOHN LEGG

Spring 2017 MGA TODAY 7