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Kincaid Mounds are preserved the remains of a number of earthen
mounds that were once part of a city created by Native Americans
during the Middle Mississippian period. (A.D. 900-1500). This period
was characterized by the rise of agriculture, specialization of
labor within communities, and building of elaborate mound systems
for burials and rituals.
The Kincaid site likely served as a trade link between native settlements
in the Cumberland-Tennessee river valleys and the metropolis at
Cahokia. Artifacts found at the Kincaid site indicate that while
the mounds were built relatively shortly before the appearance of
Europeans in Illinois, Native Americans had occupied the area at
different periods over hundreds of years. The property is located
within what is known as the Kincaid Site, designated in 1964 as
a National Historic Landmark and listed in 1966 on the National
Register of Historic Places.
State holdings contain the remains of nine mounds and a large portion
of the associated village site. Additional mounds and the remaining
portion of the village are located on adjacent private property.
Level areas of the site are planted in crops.
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