Guest Speaker: The Civil War at the Indian Temple Mound & Leonard Destin's Captivity

Destin historian Hank Klein presents The Civil War at the Indian Temple Mound & Leonard Destin’s Captivity

In this presentation Mr. Klein tells the story of the local chapter of the American Civil War. A volunteer infantry unit called the Walton Guard was stationed in what would become downtown Ft. Walton Beach. They were here to keep an eye on Union ships in the Gulf of Mexico and Santa Rosa Sound.

The local story is also one of a Yankee, Leonard Destin, as he and his family lived in the precarious ground between the Walton Guard and the cannons of Union gunboats.

H. C. “Hank” Klein, has long been interested in the history of Destin, Florida, and the genealogy of his father-in-law’s and mother-in-law’s families (Marler and Shirah). Both came from pioneer Destin families and both were related to Leonard Destin, the founder of Destin, Florida. Klein has written books documenting him and his wife’s family genealogy. Hank has also contributed historical research for Tony Mennillo’s recently published book Salty Memories along the Coastal Highway – Historic Stories of Destin and the Emerald Coast.

Tony Mennillo will also be present selling and autographing copies of Salty Memories. Heritage Park & Cultural Center is located at 139 Miracle Strip Parkway SE. The presentation will be at the Indian Temple Mound Museum on Friday January 16, 2015 and begin at 6:00pm. For further information, please contact Museum Programming Coordinator Michael Weech at 833-9595 or mweech@fwb.org.