MARIETTA — The Castle is set to hold its yearly Solstice Watch from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 21.
The event will feature The Castle’s archaeologist, Wes Clarke, who will lead a special Winter Solstice Watch at Sacra Via Park. There, attendees can observe the moment when the setting sun lines up precisely with the ancient earthworks known as the Sacra Via.
Prehistoric earthwork complexes such as those in Marietta were partly engineered to mark seasonal changes using astronomical events. During the program, Clarke will explain how the area’s mound structures align with celestial movements and why these alignments were significant to the Native American communities who built them.
Clarke is a Registered Professional Archaeologist with more than 45 years of research experience in the American Midwest and Southeast Asia. His expertise includes early historic pottery, Ohio art history, and the formation of early settlements in both regions. He has written widely on these topics and currently works as the Manager of Collections at The Castle Museum, where he oversees excavations at the historic Clark family pottery site.
