In the fourth grade, my teacher gave us the assignment to read a non-fiction book. We had a list of biographies to choose from. I chose a book about the legendary anthropologist Margaret Mead. It blew my mind. My nine-year-old brain went down the rabbit hole and became enthralled with archeology and anthropology. From fourth grade until 11^th grade, if you asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would have said that I wanted to be an archeologist with a specialization in Egyptology. (No, that’s not what Mead studied but she got me started on my educational journey).

I tell you this so you will understand how fascinated I was to learn that Ft. Walton Beach (in the Florida panhandle) has a cool archeological site and museum. So, early one weekday morning, I made the leisurely 30-minute drive from our hotel in Crestview to the Indian Temple Mound Museum.

The museum is a collection of four historic structures:

• a schoolhouse in use from 1912-1936
• a post office in use from 1918 – 1950’s
• a Civil War exhibit building
• the temple mound (dating back to approximately 1,000 AD) and its accompanying museum (dating to 1971)

The Logistics

For the tiny price tag of $5.00 I was able to access all four historic exhibits. I also chose to buy a glossy history booklet for an additional $1.00, which details other historic buildings in the community that visitors can see on a self-guided walking tour. Admission for visitors between the ages of 4-17 is a mere $3.00. There are also discounts for seniors and military personnel. All the buildings are open five days/week (closed on Sundays and Mondays). There are small, free parking lots dotting the neighborhood around the museum. I found the staff to be extremely knowledgeable and helpful. In fact, Mirabela assisted me, and she is, in fact, the proud owner of a degree in archeology. So, if you have questions, feel free to ask. The staff will most certainly be able to answer nearly anything you throw at them. In Mirabela’s case, she will do it with a smile and a story too.

History Before Europeans – The Temple Mound

The temple mound was constructed by Native Americans. The museum literature explains that most of the tribe names date back to when European settlers arrived, but the temple mound was constructed long before that when the people living in the panhandle had no written language (therefore we don’t know what they called themselves). Today we say simply that people from the Mississippian Period constructed the temple mound. It is believed that the mound was constructed so that a building at its peak could function as a home for their leader, a place of worship, and as the center for all community activities. Often, leaders were buried within the mound. Ft. Walton Beach’s mound is a truncated pyramid that is about 17 feet high.

It is important for visitors to understand that this is the original mound. It has not been reconstructed. However, it has been the subject of nine archeological excavations, which is where much of our knowledge of it comes from. There was one “non-scientific” dig in 1861. All the scientific excavations occurred between 1901 and 1976.

The actual temple structure that stands atop the mound today is a reconstruction that dates to 1976. This is intended to show visitors what type of structure likely stood on that spot so many generations ago.

The Museum of Archeology and Anthropology

The museum covers 14,000 years of Florida history and packs a tremendous amount of educational information and artifacts into a relatively small space. If you find the information too dense to digest all at once, consider going outside and climbing the stairs to the top of the mound before returning to finish seeing the museum (particularly if you have children under the age of 8 years old with you). The museum houses thousands of artifacts that were located during the excavations. Due to this community’s location next to the ocean, the people living here would have been primarily fish-eaters. The artifacts include this ancient paddle fragment.

While researchers were able to reconstruct this beautiful effigy urn, it leaves more questions for us than it seems to answer.

Researchers onsite even discovered, and were able to reconstruct, an entire dog skeleton.

The museum also displays a complete canoe. Considering its age, it is in unbelievable condition. This artifact was found in central Florida, not in the panhandle. It dates to the late 18^th or early 19^th century. This particular type of canoe would have been paddled by someone sitting in the center and keeping their center of gravity as low as possible, or by standing with feet apart and using a pole along the water’s bottom to move forward.

Interactive Exhibits

One of my favorite things is to see a museum, art gallery or other attraction add interactive/experiential exhibits to their collection. Read here and here for examples. At the Temple Mound Museum there are stations where visitors (especially children) can weave palmetto strands to learn how ancient people would have done so. Visitors are also invited to draw with dry erase markers on glass to simulate what it would have been like to tell a story using only pictures on animal hide rather than paper. There is even a ceramic bowl that visitors can decorate using chalk to simulate creating decorative pottery. These activities are a brilliant way to engage all visitors, especially young ones.

The other historic structures were moved to the park from other locations and are a nice way to round out your visit. The history of these structures covers much more modern history (as explained above).

The Schoolhouse

My personal favorite was the schoolhouse. Staff member, Bruce, was a terrific storyteller. Since this structure was moved from its original location, it cannot be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. However, much of what visitors see is original, including the wrought iron desks. This schoolhouse is 2/3 larger than a typical one-room schoolhouse of the era because this one was also used as a community center. A back room for high school students was added in 1927. Bruce kindly fired up the old Victrola for me. He adjusted the tinny sounds that the record produced by opening the “volume doors” on the front and he explained that this particular model would have cost approximately $150 in 1921. (A fortune!)

While the Temple Mound Museum cannot technically be called a free museum, it is blissfully close. At $5.00, the admission is reasonable enough that most families can still afford it. Want to hear the fun bonus? If you keep your admission receipt, you can re-enter the museum again for FREE within one year of your original visit. Yes! If you are vacationing at the panhandle beaches or driving through on your way to some of the fantastic Alabama adventures that I’ve written about, you could stop in at the Temple Mound Museum and enjoy a second visit for free. Learning about the early people who inhabited our continent is fascinating and valuable and something that I, myself, am woefully behind on doing. While my nine-year-old brain may have confused anthropology and archeology, I am still thankful to Margaret Mead for launching my interest into what makes humans and societies tick. Special thanks to the City of Ft. Walton Beach for preserving such a rare and wonderful site.