Velda Mound was built in approximately 1450 by Fort Walton peoples and occupied by their descendants the
Apalachee until about 1625. The Spanish explorers called this area
Apalachee Province in recognition of the tribe's power, a territory which also included the
Lake Jackson Mounds and major center of
Anhaica. The
platform mound is believed to have served as a residence for a village leader, with a village surrounding the mound. The village inhabitants cultivated vegetables in small family plots and farmed large
communal farming fields in the area around the village. During the 1950s, the area around the mound was part of the pastures used by the large Velda Dairy operation. During this era, looters continued digging into the mound to search for
artifacts, which damaged the mound and altered its structure. The dairy property was later sold for redevelopment as the Arbor Hill residential subdivision. The mound has since been repaired and is now owned by the State of Florida. ==See also==