Pendarvis (Mineral Point, Wisconsin) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Pendarvis
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 Location in Wisconsin
Location in the United States
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| Location | 114 Shake Rag St., Mineral Point, Wisconsin |
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| Area | 4.6 acres (1.9 ha) |
| Built | 1835 |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000038 |
| Added to NRHP | January 25, 1971 |
Pendarvis is a special historic place in Mineral Point, Wisconsin. It is in Iowa County, Wisconsin, in the United States. This site is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Pendarvis has several old stone and wood cabins from the 1800s. These cabins were built by immigrants from Cornwall, a place in Great Britain. They came to Mineral Point to dig for lead and zinc.
Today, the Wisconsin Historical Society owns Pendarvis. It is a museum that teaches about Wisconsin's early lead mining history. The site also shares the story of Robert Neal and Edgar Hellum. They started important work to save these old buildings during the Great Depression.
Contents
The Story of Pendarvis
Miners Arrive in Wisconsin
In the 1830s and 1840s, many people moved to southwest Wisconsin and northwest Illinois. They came to work in the rich lead mines. Several mining towns quickly grew in this area. These towns included Galena, Illinois, Platteville, Wisconsin, and Mineral Point. Pendarvis is located in Mineral Point.
At the peak of the mining boom, Mineral Point had over 4,000 people. Many of these new residents were tin miners from Cornwall, England. The Cornish immigrants built simple homes. They used wood or limestone found nearby.
Mines Close Down
Over time, the lead mines started to run out. Many miners then moved to other places. Some went to California after gold was found there in 1848. Other miners stayed to dig for zinc, which was also plentiful. But by the early 1900s, the zinc mines were also closing.
Saving the Historic Buildings
A Plan to Restore Old Homes
In the 1920s and 1930s, many old cabins built by the Cornish miners were being torn down. Robert Neal, a local resident, noticed this. He teamed up with Edgar Hellum. They decided to buy and fix up several of these old Cornish buildings.
Neal and Hellum gave each restored building a Cornish-language name. Their first project was a one-story stone cabin. They called it Pendarvis.
The Pendarvis Restaurant
To help pay for more restoration work, Pendarvis House became a restaurant. It served real Cornish dishes, like Cornish pasty. The Pendarvis House Restaurant became very popular. Its success helped Neal and Hellum restore even more historic Cornish homes in Mineral Point.
Exploring the Pendarvis Buildings
After the restoration, the Pendarvis historic site included six cabins. These were built by English and Cornish miners in the 1840s and 1850s. The Pendarvis house itself was made from local limestone. Its walls are very thick, about 18 to 20 inches!
Next to the Pendarvis house is the Trelawny. This is a two-story cottage built in a similar way. Nearby is Polperro, a two-and-a-half-story house. Its first floor is stone, and its upper floors are wood.
Another building is the Rowhouse. This is made of three stone structures connected together. The first house was built around 1841. The second was built around 1844 or 1845. The last house, built between the other two, was added around 1852.
Pendarvis as a Museum
Becoming a Public Site
In 1970, Neal and Hellum gave their collection of restored buildings to the Wisconsin Historical Society. A year later, in 1971, Pendarvis opened to the public as a historic site.
Besides the cottages, the Wisconsin Historical Society also got land on Merry Christmas Mine Hill. This was once a historic zinc mine. You can still see signs of the old mining work there. Much of the hill has been restored to its natural prairie state. Visitors can walk on trails to explore the hill.
What You Can See Today
The historic buildings are open to visitors during certain seasons. They serve as a museum. It helps preserve the history of the region's mining industry. It also shows what life was like for the miners who first lived there. Many old items are on display inside the buildings. These include real mining tools and household items from the past.
