If you have family roots in the northern part of Marion county around Kinmundy-Alma, or if you attended school around there, the Kinmundy Historical Society invites you to look around our growing website here at www.kinmundyhistoricalsociety.org  Between all of the volunteer work at the Kinmundy Log Cabin Village, organizing the 2007 sesquicentennial, and collecting and preserving vintage items which are donated to our organization, our little historical society has also become the repository for thousands of photos from around the area, spanning from the mid-1800's to present day.

   Yearbooks from our schools have been scanned, as well as hundreds of photos from one-room schoolhouses and "town" classes, many of which are long gone. (Indexes are also provided in the case you’re looking for someone but not sure which class photo or yearbook to find them in.) Other photos include many old businesses and residences which were located in Alma and Kinmundy as well as webpage sections about our Churches, Farming, Historical Families, Veterans and Soldiers, Organizations, Trains and Depots, the Kinmundy Fire, Parks and Lakes, and the 1957 Centennial Celebration. One section is appropriately titled "Around Kinmundy and Alma with Robert Ford (1960's-70's)" and includes hundreds of portraits of current and former residents who could be found on a local "main street" on any given day 40 years ago. (See the links on the left panel on this page.)

   You can also travel back in time by clicking on the link for "Gleanings from the Kinmundy Express (1883-1884 and 1904-1959)" which takes you to some of the new items which have appeared in the hometown paper. There you can read about charivaris, robberies, train wrecks, fox hunts and church picnics, as well as the letters sent homebound from WWII soldiers, flu epidemics, and fires that wiped out sections of our growing communities. There is even a search feature which allows you to look for your own family names in published marriages, birth announcements, and obituaries. (Find this link at the top of the left panel of this page.)

   The Kinmundy Historical Society may have become the unofficial archivist of this vast photo collection, but it literally took a village to help build it. Area residents, as well as those with hometown roots who now live far away, have generously submitted scanned pictures and artifacts to our organization. Others have opened up their scrapbooks and allowed us to scan their treasured photos. Fortunately, the internet allows us to share the collection worldwide, and it is amazing how many places around the globe that our little hometown has touched, as we hear from people who live in just about every corner ... and they are all anxious to reminisce about "home".

   But - we’re not done! There are plans of expansion for the website. Soon, we hope to add sections which include "Hometown Memories" (writeups from residents about soda fountains, schools, soda fountains, businesses, "free shows" in town, etc.), as well as more cemetery listings, family histories, and more.

   In the meantime, we are continuing our drive to add more with help from the community. If you would be kind enough to send us your stories, or allow us to scan your historical pictures (it only takes a couple of minutes per photo), we would certainly appreciate it. (If you have your own scanner, we would gladly accept e-mailed entries.) Also, we always appreciate any additions or corrections that you can help us with in identifying residents and students in our photos.

   If you have any questions, or you would like to contact the Kinmundy Historical Society about adding to our collection, please contact:

Dolores Ford Mobley  

     208 Joan Drive; Divernon, IL 62530; 217-494-7527; fordmobley@gmail.com

OR   

Gladys (Corrie) See

    408 S. Washington St.; Kinmundy, IL 62854; 618-547-7731; gsee49@yahoo.com

Questions or Suggestions for this Website?

Please contact Dolores Ford Mobley      fordmobley@gmail.com