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The sun…
The sun…
Oh, how I LOVE the sun!
Summer is my season and I love all the fun things that come with it, like going to the beach. Growing up in Louisiana, we were not far from the sunny, Emerald Coast of Florida with its clear, blue waters. Many vacations were spent traveling the short six hours and getting that Panama Jack tan all in a week’s time!
As I have grown older, however, lying on a beach for a solid week doesn’t cut it for me anymore, especially when I am visiting a new location. The travel bug, that resides in me, itches to go out and explore what makes that particular location…well, particular.
This year, since COVID 19 limited our travel options, we decided to make the drive to Florida and let our children experience what we once did in our teens and early twenties.
Having decided to stay in Fort Walton Beach, we were excited to see that the weather forecast was predicting fair skies for most of the week. After the extremely long drive from our home in Virginia, it was fun to wake early the next morning, make our way down to the white sandy beach and plant ourselves under the umbrella for the day!
As much as I loved being back to what felt almost like home, I was getting a bit antsy after only two days, especially when I awakened to darkened skies that morning. Taking the opportunity to run an errand or two, I also decided to head into downtown Fort Walton to explore the Heritage Park and Cultural Center. I had spotted this place on the way to our condominium and was quite curious. I didn’t remember ever seeing it when I was younger, but then, at that time of my life, museums were probably just not that interesting to me.
Taking a spot in the parking lot off of Miracle Strip Parkway, I made my way to the museum which has been in operation since 1962. The current building was opened in 1972 and houses information and exhibits which depict 12,000 years of Native American occupation. Making my way through the modest structure, I inspected the display cases which highlight over 1,000 artifacts of stone, bone, clay and shell, prehistoric ceramics, artifacts from European explorers, local pirates and early settlers and weaving and baskets examples.
My visit to the museum lasted less than an hour and I made my way out of the doors to climb the stairs to the the prehistoric temple mound, one of the highest points on the local landscape. The Indian Temple Mound was built as a ceremonial and political center between 800 and 1400AD by the native inhabitants of the area. Standing twelve feet tall and measuring two-hundred and twenty three feet across its base, it is thought to be one of the largest prehistoric earthworks on the Gulf Coast.
In 1964, the Indian Temple Mound was designated a National Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Historic Register. The original temple sat atop the mound and was used as the residence of the leader, a temple for religious ceremonies and a place to direct the activities of the village. I learned that it was, and still is, a sacred burial ground, leaving me to think that it may not be a place to walk near after dark if you are a believer in ghosts!
After the mound was abandoned, its history was affected by the arrival of Confederate Soldiers during the Civil War and by the excavations executed by the Smithsonian Institute seeking information about the original inhabitants.
Though I could only maintain a fair distance from the temple at the top of the mound, the area surrounding the base was open for inspection.
There are three other museums in the complex; Camp Walton Schoolhouse Museum, Garnier Post Office Museum, and the Civil War Exhibit Building. As I walked to the far end of the property, I learned that due to Covid 19 restrictions in the state, these other buildings were closed to visitors. I was, however, able to inspect the exteriors and take a peek into some of the windows.
The Camp Walton Schoolhouse Museum, of which the exterior was being restored when we visited, was one of the museums on the premises that I would have loved to visit and will certainly return to in the future. It is a historic two-room structure that covers the history of education in the county from 1911 to the 1930’s. Once located on Main Street, this is the third location that the schoolhouse has been set upon. Built of native timber, the school was opened in 1912 with one teacher and fifteen students and all levels of education were taught in the one room institution for fifteen years. In 1927, another room was added for high school students and their teacher. Nine years, later, the students were moved to the New Fort Walton School. The old schoolhouse was purchased and moved to eventually serve as apartments for families during World War II and for years after. The building was left to deteriorate during the 1970’s and scheduled for demolition when the Junior Service League stepped in. Persuading the owners to donate the building, it was preserved and continued to serve in an educational capacity. It was moved to its present location in 2006.
Another museum on the premises is the Garnier Post Office Museum. This museum exhibits items from the early days of the postal service of Walton county from 1918 to 1956.
Originally located on the beach of Garnier’s Bayou, the service was relocated at the junction of Mooney and Garnier Post Roads in 1918. Under the direction of the postmaster, Euphrates A. Mooney until his death in 1935, the operations of the office was then assumed by his wife Julia, who served for twenty-eight years. Just before Mrs. Mooney’s death in 1956, the small post office was closed and thirty years later, the building was moved onto First Street behind the Camp Walton Schoolhouse Museum. After its restoration, the Garnier Post Office Museum was moved with the schoolhouse in 2006.
The final museum is the one that houses Exhibits of the Civil War and was constructed in this location in 2010. There are various items in the gallery that depict life of the Civil War soldiers stationed here during the era, information about the state’s secession, slavery in Florida, prisoners of war and other information about important events that happened during wartime.
Walking back to my car, I realized that the steady drizzle that had plagued my visit had now stopped. As I put my car into drive and headed out to the Miracle Strip Parkway, a ray of sunshine illuminated the bridge to Okaloosa Island. A rainbow hovered over the island and I realized that the end was situated just near our condominium, where I was was returning to!
Even with my love for the sun, which you hope for on a beach vacation, there has to be days of clouds and rain. Years ago, when I was hoping for my deep, dark tan, I would have been frustrated to have a rainy day. Today, it was a blessing…a day to experience the culture of the area. The true pot of gold at the end of that rainbow!
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Indian Temple Mound Museum
- https://www.fwb.org/parksrec/page/indian-temple-mound-museum
- Address: 139 Miracle Strip Parkway SE, Fort Walton Beach, Florida 32548
- Hours: 1000-1500, Tuesday-Saturday *Current hours due to Covid 19 reduction
- Admission: $3.00 plus tax, ages 4 and older. *Current admission price due to Covid 19 reduced hours and admittance. Only the Indian Temple Mound and the Indian Temple Mound Museum are open at this time…7/28/2020 thru the publication of this article, 10/6/2020.