Indian Temple Mound and Museum
Encyclopedia
The Fort Walton Mound is an ancient earthwork mound
located in present-day Fort Walton Beach, Florida
. The mound was built about 850 CE
by the Fort Walton Culture
, a local form of the Mississippian culture
. The Mississippian peoples built the greatest prehistoric mound complexes in North America north of Mexico
. Because of its significance, the mound was designated a National Historic Landmark
in 1964.
Still reduced by time, the massive platform mound
is still 12 feet (3.7 m) high and 223 feet (68 m) wide at the base. It was an expression of a complex culture, built by a hierarchical society whose leaders planned and organized the labor of many workers for such construction. The mound served combined ceremonial, political and religious purposes. At the center of the village and its supporting agricultural lands, the mound served as the platform for the temple and residence of the chief
. Successive leaders were buried in the mound and additional layers were added over time.
This is one of three surviving mound complexes in the panhandle, the others being Letchworth Mounds
and Lake Jackson Mounds
state parks.
who excavated the mound in 1960 believed it was built between 1500-1650 based on pottery sherds he uncovered and analyzed. A prehistoric Southeastern Native American group (originally defined as the Fort Walton Culture
by Gordon Willey
, but more likely built by the Pensacola Culture as it is now more clearly understood) constructed the mound during the Mississippian cultural time period. The mound served as the ceremonial and political center of their chiefdom and probably the residence of the chief. It was also the burial ground of the elites in the society. Archaeological evidence suggests that several buildings once stood on top of the mound, perhaps at different times throughout its use. These buildings were probably done in the typical wattle and daub
construction common among Southeastern Native American groups. By sometime in the late 1600s the mound was abandoned by its original builders and lay dormant in use until the area was reinhabited by white settlers in the mid 19th century.
The Confederate soldiers established "Camp Walton" at the base of Fort Walton Mound in 1861 during the Civil War to guard Santa Rosa Sound and Choctawhatchee Bay. As with many of Florida's mound structures, the Fort Walton Mound was first excavated by antiquarians and amateur archaeologists. The Walton Guard soldiers are the first recorded group to have excavated the mound. John Love McKinnon, an officer with the Walton Guards at the time, wrote a description of their excavation in his book "History of Walton County." McKinnon noted that several human remains the soldiers unearthed were from large individuals and probably belonged to warriors as indicated by damage they observed on the skulls, thighs and arms bones consistent with hacking and blunt force trauma. He speculated that the area they dug into was once a charnel house
. A couple decades after the Civil War, in 1883 S.T. Walker wrote a report about excavating the mound for the Smithsonian Institution. Walker surveyed several mounds in the Florida Panhandle and noted that many curiosity seekers had dug into the mound over the years. Walker noted that Dr. S.S. Forbes from Milton, Florida
, had excavated the mound previously and discovered bones and several clay effigies which he later donated to the Smithsonian.
Clarence Bloomfield Moore
also excavated the mound in 1901 and brought many before unseen ceramic vessels and burial items to light. In 1940 the highly respected archaeologist Gordon Willey and Richard Woodbury rexamined the Fort Walton Mound and other sites Moore had visited. Their work here was mentioned in Willey's highly acclaimed work “Archaeology of the Florida Gulf Coast," which he completed when he worked for the Bureau of American Ethnology Smithsonian Institution. By 1960 Dr. Charles Fairbanks, an archaeologist and professor at Florida State University, was contacted by the city and he excavated the mound to determine the original size, shape, and construction method of the mound. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s the Fort Walton Mound was excavated by members of the museum staff under the guidance of William and Yulee Lazarus. In 1971-1973 with the help of Depauw University's Robert J. Fornaro the mound was excavated to locate post holes and recover ceramic material that might fit vessels found earlier. The last excavation of the Fort Walton Mound occurred in 1976 by then FSU graduate student Nina Thanz (Borremans). Thanz was tasked with making sure the reconstruction of a temple building being planned for the top of the mound would not disturb any human remains or artifacts during construction. She found several post holes from different structures built on top of the mound and evidence for a charnel house. Her findings of post holes became one source of the dimensions to the building structure that stands on the mound today. According to the first curator of the Indian Temple Mound Museum Yulee Lazarus the reconstruction of the temple building that currently stands on top of the mound was never intended on being a "replica," but rather to "bolster the imagination and interpretation of the Indians' use of the temple mound."
artifacts, as well as a variety of exhibits on later Native American and Floridian history. The address is 139 Miracle Strip Pkwy SE, near the intersection of State Road 85 and U.S. Route 98
, in the Florida Panhandle
.
Mound
A mound is a general term for an artificial heaped pile of earth, gravel, sand, rocks, or debris. The most common use is in reference to natural earthen formation such as hills and mountains, particularly if they appear artificial. The term may also be applied to any rounded area of topographically...
located in present-day Fort Walton Beach, Florida
Fort Walton Beach, Florida
Fort Walton Beach is a city in southern Okaloosa County, Florida, United States. As of 2005, the population estimate for Fort Walton Beach was 19,992, and as of 2010, the population estimate for Fort Walton Beach is 19,507 recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau...
. The mound was built about 850 CE
Common Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
by the Fort Walton Culture
Fort Walton Culture
Fort Walton Culture was a mound-building Native American culture that flourished in southeastern North America, from approximately 1100~1550 CE....
, a local form of the Mississippian culture
Mississippian culture
The Mississippian culture was a mound-building Native American culture that flourished in what is now the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southeastern United States from approximately 800 CE to 1500 CE, varying regionally....
. The Mississippian peoples built the greatest prehistoric mound complexes in North America north of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Because of its significance, the mound was designated a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1964.
Still reduced by time, the massive platform mound
Platform mound
A platform mound is any earthwork or mound intended to support a structure or activity.-Eastern North America:The indigenous peoples of North America built substructure mounds for well over a thousand years starting in the Archaic period and continuing through the Woodland period...
is still 12 feet (3.7 m) high and 223 feet (68 m) wide at the base. It was an expression of a complex culture, built by a hierarchical society whose leaders planned and organized the labor of many workers for such construction. The mound served combined ceremonial, political and religious purposes. At the center of the village and its supporting agricultural lands, the mound served as the platform for the temple and residence of the chief
Tribal chief
A tribal chief is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribal societies with social stratification under a single leader emerged in the Neolithic period out of earlier tribal structures with little stratification, and they remained prevalent throughout the Iron Age.In the case of ...
. Successive leaders were buried in the mound and additional layers were added over time.
This is one of three surviving mound complexes in the panhandle, the others being Letchworth Mounds
Letchworth Mounds
Letchworth-Love Mounds is a Florida State Park that preserves the state's tallest prehistoric, Native American ceremonial earthwork mound, which is high. It is estimated to have been built 1100 to 1800 years ago. This is one of three major surviving mound complexes in the Florida Panhandle...
and Lake Jackson Mounds
Lake Jackson Mounds Archaeological State Park
Lake Jackson Mounds Archaeological State Park is one of the most important archaeological sites in Florida, a former chiefdom and ceremonial center of the Fort Walton Culture...
state parks.
History
The Fort Walton Mound was probably built around 800 CE, although Charles H. FairbanksCharles H. Fairbanks
Charles Herron Fairbanks was an archaeologist/anthropologist. He conducted archaeology at the Ocmulgee National Monument in Macon, Georgia where he developed rigorous, painstaking field methodology.-Biography:...
who excavated the mound in 1960 believed it was built between 1500-1650 based on pottery sherds he uncovered and analyzed. A prehistoric Southeastern Native American group (originally defined as the Fort Walton Culture
Fort Walton Culture
Fort Walton Culture was a mound-building Native American culture that flourished in southeastern North America, from approximately 1100~1550 CE....
by Gordon Willey
Gordon Willey
Gordon Randolph Willey was an American archaeologist famous for his fieldwork in South and Central America as well as the southeastern United States...
, but more likely built by the Pensacola Culture as it is now more clearly understood) constructed the mound during the Mississippian cultural time period. The mound served as the ceremonial and political center of their chiefdom and probably the residence of the chief. It was also the burial ground of the elites in the society. Archaeological evidence suggests that several buildings once stood on top of the mound, perhaps at different times throughout its use. These buildings were probably done in the typical wattle and daub
Wattle and daub
Wattle and daub is a composite building material used for making walls, in which a woven lattice of wooden strips called wattle is daubed with a sticky material usually made of some combination of wet soil, clay, sand, animal dung and straw...
construction common among Southeastern Native American groups. By sometime in the late 1600s the mound was abandoned by its original builders and lay dormant in use until the area was reinhabited by white settlers in the mid 19th century.
The Confederate soldiers established "Camp Walton" at the base of Fort Walton Mound in 1861 during the Civil War to guard Santa Rosa Sound and Choctawhatchee Bay. As with many of Florida's mound structures, the Fort Walton Mound was first excavated by antiquarians and amateur archaeologists. The Walton Guard soldiers are the first recorded group to have excavated the mound. John Love McKinnon, an officer with the Walton Guards at the time, wrote a description of their excavation in his book "History of Walton County." McKinnon noted that several human remains the soldiers unearthed were from large individuals and probably belonged to warriors as indicated by damage they observed on the skulls, thighs and arms bones consistent with hacking and blunt force trauma. He speculated that the area they dug into was once a charnel house
Charnel house
A charnel house is a vault or building where human skeletal remains are stored. They are often built near churches for depositing bones that are unearthed while digging graves...
. A couple decades after the Civil War, in 1883 S.T. Walker wrote a report about excavating the mound for the Smithsonian Institution. Walker surveyed several mounds in the Florida Panhandle and noted that many curiosity seekers had dug into the mound over the years. Walker noted that Dr. S.S. Forbes from Milton, Florida
Milton, Florida
Milton , or Milltown, because Milton had the largest mill around) is a city in Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States. The city was incorporated in 1844 and is home to Naval Air Station Whiting Field. The population was 7,045 at the 2000 census. In 2004, the population recorded by the U.S...
, had excavated the mound previously and discovered bones and several clay effigies which he later donated to the Smithsonian.
Clarence Bloomfield Moore
Clarence Bloomfield Moore
Clarence Bloomfield Moore was an American archaeologist and writer...
also excavated the mound in 1901 and brought many before unseen ceramic vessels and burial items to light. In 1940 the highly respected archaeologist Gordon Willey and Richard Woodbury rexamined the Fort Walton Mound and other sites Moore had visited. Their work here was mentioned in Willey's highly acclaimed work “Archaeology of the Florida Gulf Coast," which he completed when he worked for the Bureau of American Ethnology Smithsonian Institution. By 1960 Dr. Charles Fairbanks, an archaeologist and professor at Florida State University, was contacted by the city and he excavated the mound to determine the original size, shape, and construction method of the mound. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s the Fort Walton Mound was excavated by members of the museum staff under the guidance of William and Yulee Lazarus. In 1971-1973 with the help of Depauw University's Robert J. Fornaro the mound was excavated to locate post holes and recover ceramic material that might fit vessels found earlier. The last excavation of the Fort Walton Mound occurred in 1976 by then FSU graduate student Nina Thanz (Borremans). Thanz was tasked with making sure the reconstruction of a temple building being planned for the top of the mound would not disturb any human remains or artifacts during construction. She found several post holes from different structures built on top of the mound and evidence for a charnel house. Her findings of post holes became one source of the dimensions to the building structure that stands on the mound today. According to the first curator of the Indian Temple Mound Museum Yulee Lazarus the reconstruction of the temple building that currently stands on top of the mound was never intended on being a "replica," but rather to "bolster the imagination and interpretation of the Indians' use of the temple mound."
Interpretation
The city operates a park and cultural center that includes the Indian Temple Mound and Museum located at the site. The city-owned and operated museum features pre-ColumbianPre-Columbian
The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during...
artifacts, as well as a variety of exhibits on later Native American and Floridian history. The address is 139 Miracle Strip Pkwy SE, near the intersection of State Road 85 and U.S. Route 98
U.S. Route 98
U.S. Route 98 is an east–west United States highway that runs from western Mississippi to southern Florida. It was established in 1933 as a route between Pensacola, Florida and Apalachicola, Florida, and has since been extended westward into Mississippi and eastward across the Florida...
, in the Florida Panhandle
Florida Panhandle
The Florida Panhandle, an informal, unofficial term for the northwestern part of Florida, is a strip of land roughly 200 miles long and 50 to 100 miles wide , lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia also on the north, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. Its eastern boundary is...
.
Fort Walton Beach Heritage Park & Cultural Center
The museum is part the Fort Walton Beach Heritage Park & Cultural Center. Admission to Heritage Park includes entrance to the Indian Temple Mound Museum, Camp Walton Schoolhouse Museum and Garnier Post Office Museum.Camp Walton Schoolhouse Museum
The Camp Walton Schoolhouse Museum was the original one-room schoolhouse built in 1911. It opened for use for the community children from 1912-1936. Opened in 1976, the museum features early 20th-century desks and education items.Garnier Post Office Museum
The Garnier Post Office Museum is an original small rural post office that displays the postal history of Camp Walton and Fort Walton with emphasis from 1900 to the 1950s. The site also served as a voting location. The museum opened in 1988.External links
- Indian Temple Mound Museum - official site
- Fort Walton Heritage Park and Cultural Center, City of Fort Walton Beach
- Okaloosa County listings at Florida's Office of Cultural and Historical Programs
- http://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortwaltonmound.html
- http://www.trailoffloridasindianheritage.org/o-Indian_Temple_Mound_Museum.html