The Kincaid Mounds Support Organization (KMSO) was established in July of 1998, and is a non profit entity registered with the Illinois Secretary of State and the Illinois Attorney General’s Office. KMSO is also registered with the Internal Revenue Service as a tax deductible organization.

The organization was formed to encourage the preservation and protection of the Kincaid Mounds Historic Site. The Kincaid Mounds Historic Site is in Massac County and contains eleven of the Mississippian Mounds, including the ceremonial area. The historic site is under the administration of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA). The Kincaid Mounds Historic Site is designated as a National Historic Landmark and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The remaining mounds are in Pope County and are on a privately owned family farm.

For many years the policy of the IHPA had been to let trees and brush grow over the mounds to protect them from vandals, a persistent problem. Eventually the growth of the trees and brush threated the settlement. As a result the Kincaid Mounds Support Organization was formed and has been working with IHPA to aid in preserving the mounds. The preservation work done at the mounds has been authorized by IHPA and funded by IHPA through annual grants.

KSMO is a group of concerned area residents interested in preserving this historic site. Members of our group has backgrounds in anthropology, biology, community development, conservation, education, history, local government, and tourism. This small group started out with an overwhelming agenda of clearing the mounds, locating artifacts taken from the mounds during excavations by the University of Chicago, developing the possibility of an interpretive site, and finding a location for a Kincaid Mounds artifact exhibit or museum.

KMSO has been able to accomplish the cleaning of the historic site mounds and the preservation of the mounds by planting native grasses. An interpretive platform was build with the assistance from Southernmost Illinois Tourism Bureau and grants from the Ohio River Scenic Byway and the Illinois Tourism Agency. The once unrecognizable site has been transformed into an education and tourism destination. The transformation of this significant site has become a destination on the Ohio River Scenic Byway. With the clearing of the mounds, and through public education on the significance of the site, the area communities have embraced our enthusiasm and taken pride in protecting and promoting the site.

The work of KMSO is ongoing with the maintenance of the historic site. Our current work also includes developing education materials and programs for the site and a future exhibit or museum of Kincaid artifacts.