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is located
north of Eatonton,  Georgia,
adjacent to the Oconee National Forest. Its 1,428 acres of forested
land, including a 110 acre lake, make Rock Eagle a natural meeting
site away from everyday life.
Opened in 1955, Rock Eagle is the largest of five centers operated
by the University of Georgia as support for the state's 4-H Program.
Thousands of young people annually participate in the Georgia 4-H
Environmental Education Program, as well as the Summer Camping Program;
made available through Georgia's County Extension Offices.
Many 4-H'ers from around the state attend competitive events, leadership
conferences and rallies at Rock Eagle. Civic, religious and business
groups utilize Rock Eagle 4-H Center for their conferences and meetings
as well.
Shaped like a prone bird, the Rock Eagle Mound is a stone
effigy. Measuring eight feet high at the breast and consisting entirely of
milky quartz rocks, it was probably built about 2,000 years ago by Native Americans.
Many believe it was built for religious or ceremonial purposes.
Archaeologists associate the mound with the
Middle Woodland Period (100-300 A.D.). Some scientists have suggested
a possible relationship between the builders of Rock Eagle and
the Hopewell Culture, mound builders active in the Great Lakes
region and the Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys from 200 B.C.
- 500 A.D.
In 1978, the U.S. Department of the Interior
listed the mound on the National Register of Historic Places.
The only other recognized stone effigy mound east of the Mississippi
River is Rock Hawk, also located in Putnam County near Lake
Oconee.
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