The Mill of Kintail Museum displays the historical collections of Dr. R. Tait McKenzie, sculptor, surgeon, and pioneer in preventive and rehabilitative medicine; poet Ethel McKenzie, his life partner; and Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball and McKenzie’s life long friend.

The museum is located in the former Woodside grist mill on the Indian River constructed in 1830 by John Baird. McKenzie purchased the mill in 1931 and converted it into a summer home and studio, naming it the Mill of Kintail. In 1952, the property was purchased by Major James Leys, an admirer of Dr. McKenzie who displayed McKenzie’s works and artifacts in a memorial museum he created on the property.

Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA) acquired the Mill of Kintail and the McKenzie collection in 1972. The Gatehouse that stores much of the collection and is used to conduct research was purchased by MVCA in 1986 and is also used for educational and conference purposes. The Naismith collection was loaned to the museum in 2010, and became part of the permanent collection in 2017.