Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Fort Walton Temple Mound - Fort Walton Beach, Florida


One of the South's most impressive archaeological sites is located in the heart of downtown Fort Walton Beach, Florida.

Best known today as a gateway to the finest white sand beaches in the world, Fort Walton Beach was once the center of a large Native American civilization. A major mound group was located here during the Mississippian era (A.D. 900-1500). Archaeologists found the site to be so impressive that they applied the label "Fort Walton" to Mississippian sites across a vast area of Northwest Florida.

The primary or temple mound of the complex is now preserved by the city of Fort Walton Beach. Standing 17 feet high and measuring more than 220 feet across the base, the Fort Walton Temple Mound is one of the largest Native American earthworks on the Gulf Coast.

Located adjacent to the mound is the Indian Temple Mound Museum. Established in 1962, it was the first municipally owned and operated museum in Florida.

To learn more about this fascinating archaeological site, please visit our new Fort Walton Temple Mound page at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortwaltonmound.

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