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The Temple Mound Museum in downtown Fort Walton Beach is one of the few large mounds found along the Florida gulf coast panhandle that still remain today. Most were destroyed about 100 years ago to make lime. Fortunately, this one remains with an excellent museum. On top of the mound is a rebuilt temple structure. The mound was believed to have been occupied from 350 BC until the Europeans arrived in the 16th century.

Mysterious jar found in the area is the center attraction in the museum. It makes a good cover for "Archaeology of Precolumbian Florida" by Jerald T. Milanich, which will tell you more about the Mississippian Culture in Florida.

One of the most spectacular finds from here is a jar, probably a funeral urn, with a detailed face and hands. It stands on four legs. The face on front has ear holes. Originally it was found headless, but the head was found years later in an excavation of another nearby burial mound. The jar is painted red, white, and black, and is one of the most spectacular vessels found in the southeast. It looks like a pre-Columbian object from Central America. This mound is part of the Mississippian culture from up north; noted by huge mounds and elaborate pottery going from Michigan, down the Mississippi River, and ending in northern Florida.

Other objects on display include ear bobs, fancy decorated bowls, and unusual animal figurines. If you are in this area, the museum is well worth a visit.