Pinellas Point Temple Mound - St. Petersburg, Florida

Surrounded by housing developments and modern streets, the Pinellas Point Temple Mound in St. Petersburg is a remarkable archaeological site.

Built during the Mississippian era (A.D. 900 - A.D. 1500) by Indians known to the Spanish as the Tocobaga, the large mound rises on the south shore of the St. Petersburg Peninsula and overlooks Tampa Bay. The mound was likely occupied at the time of the Spanish arrival in the Tampa Bay area during the 1500s and may have been the ceremonial center of one of the villages noted by the chroniclers of the Panfilo de Narvaez and Hernando de Soto expeditions.

In fact, local tradition holds that the Pinellas Point Mound was the site where Princess Hirrihigua saved the life of Juan Ortiz, a member of an expedition sent to Tampa Bay in search of the missing Narvaez by his worried wife. Captured by warriors, Ortiz was on the verge of execution when the daughter of a chief intervened on his behalf. Some scholars believe the story may have been the actual foundation for the later account of Pocahontas saving the life of Captain John Smith in Virginia.

Regardless of the accuracy of the legend, the Pinellas Point Temple Mound is an important relic of the days when the site of modern St. Petersburg was the center of an important Native American chiefdom.

To learn more about the mound and to see additional photos, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/pinellaspoint.

Letchworth-Love Mounds Archaeological State Park

Just off U.S. 90 between Tallahassee and Monticello is a state park preserving what remains of a massive prehistoric mound group. One of the surviving mounds, in fact, is believed to be the tallest "Indian mound" in Florida.

Letchworth-Love Mounds Archaeological State Park was the site of a significant Native American city of the Weeden Island time period (A.D. 300-900). Former owners of the property indicate that there were once as many as 15-20 mounds at and near the site. Four of these can be seen at the park.

The largest mound at the site, once called the "Miccosukee Mound," rises 46 feet high and measures nearly 300 feet across the base.

The park is one of the newest in Florida, but is already in danger of being closed due to budget constraints. To learn more about it, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/letchworth.

Ancient History in Fort Walton Beach

One of the most impressive archaeological sites in Florida can be found in the heart of downtown Fort Walton Beach.

The Fort Walton Temple Mound and Indian Temple Mound Museum are located at 139 Miracle Strip Parkway (U.S. Highway 98) and preserve a Native American ceremonial mound built nearly 1,000 years ago.

The Fort Walton Temple Mound was the centerpiece of a major mound group, most of the rest of which has long since been covered over. A large platform mound that stands 17 feet tall and measures 223 feet long across the base, the mound once served as the base for a large structure and was the focal point of ceremonial and political activities in a large village of the Mississippian time period (A.D. 900-1500).

Now preserved and maintained by the City of Fort Walton Beach, the mound is located immediately next to the Indian Temple Mound Museum where visitors can view amazing samples of artifacts recovered from sites in Northwest Florida.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortwaltonmound.