One of the two archeological parks in the state of Tennessee, the Pinson Mounds is the largest Middle Woodland period mound complex in the United States that dates to about 1 to 500 A.D. and were used by Native Americans for religious ceremonial and burial purposes. It was discovered in 1820 by a crew of surveyors headed by Joel Pinson whom the site was named after but only became known by the late 19th century when a Jackson newspaper editor J.G. Cisco got interested in it and started making it public. It is now part of the Pinson Mounds State Archeological Park.

The almost 1,200-acre Pinson Mounds complex can be approximately divided into three sections ? the inner section set at the center of the complex consisted of mounds 9 (also called Sauls? Mound, used for ceremonial reasons, named after its former owner John Sauls), 10, 11, 12, 14, 15 and 17; the Eastern section where the geometric enclosure called Eastern Citadel is located together with mounds 28, 29 and 30; and the Western (Ozier) section comprised of the Cochran Area (considered to have been a temporary habitation area) and mounds 5 (or the Ozier Mound), 6 (or the Twin Mounds, a double conical mound) and 31 (a burial mound).

Excavations to further discover the mound complex were done starting 1961. These excavations brought about the conclusion that the creations of the mounds were done during the period 1 to 500 A. D. Some of the discoveries include a 21 by 18 feet oval-shaped house bounded by a posthole-lined wall-trench with a central hearth and storage pit, a human cremation pit and a number of exotic artifacts.

A National Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Pinson Mounds is also a special park, preserved to safeguard the prehistoric remains found there, the reason why a museum was built inside the site. The museum features a replica of a Native American mound and a copy of Pinson?s map, with 4,500 square feet of exhibit space, an archaeological library, an 80-seat theater and 'Discovery Room' for historical exploration, park offices and the West Tennessee Regional Archaeology Office.

Visitors of the park can also enjoy camping on the grounds of Pinson Mounds. Four cabins complete with kitchen equipment, restrooms and other facilities are available and each can accommodate eight people. Those who want to relax with their family, picnic areas with grills and shelters are offered for use, found throughout the park. Nature lovers can take a walk through a six-mile trail and boardwalk with a stop overlooking the Forked Deer River which borders the park.