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Discover Wisconsin’s Cornish
History and the Couple
Who Helped Preserve It
Every building tells a story, and at Pendarvis, there are plenty, each with a unique narrative to tell. Your journey through this picturesque cluster of stone structures will take you not only through the stories of the people who originally created and inhabited them, but also the story of Bob Neal and Edgar Hellum, the couple who salvaged, restored, and made these buildings shine again.
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Pendarvis
Tucked away in historic Mineral Point, Pendarvis celebrates the 20th century preservation efforts of
Polperro, our three story stone and log home on Shake Rag Street, was built in 1843 by George Kislingbury.
George Kislingbury was an English immigrant to Mineral Point, departing from Liverpool and arriving in the United States in 1836. In 1839, Kislingbury purchased the lot where our buildings Polperro, Pendarvis, and Trelawny sit today on Shake Rag Street. In November of 1843, Kislingbury married a Cornish woman, Ann Whitford, and they moved into their new log and stone home. Polperro was named after a Cornish fishing village by Bob Neal and Edgar Hellum, who became the third ever owners of the property in 1936. They restored the building to what they imagined was the original 1843 look of the home.
William “Bill” Kislingbury worked many years for Bob and Edgar as a carpenter at Pendarvis. Bill is shown here inside Polperro probably in 1938, restoring the home that his grandfather, George, built in 1843.
Image: Mineral Point Library Archives 03922 ... See MoreSee Less
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It amazes me how the beautiful building was built with what tools they had back then. Thanks for sharing!
Bill Kislingbury was a WW I veteran. He never married. His niece Frances and her husband Barry Telfair visited Mineral Point from their home in St. Louis every year for 50 years to visit Bill and see Pendarvis. Bob and Edgar allowed Barry to photograph the interiors of the buildings over the years and he donated his entire collection to the Archives.
Join us at our sister site Villa Louis Historic Site the next two weekends for Victorian Home for the Holidays! Get into the holiday spirit and see the home decorated for the season. Tickets available here: wihist.org/3sgMsaG ... See MoreSee Less
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Today, your support will go three times as far. Our Board of Directors is generously offering a 2-to-1 match on all Giving Tuesday donations, effectively TRIPLING your gift!
Our goal is to raise $1,000 on Facebook to help meet our overall goal of $10,000. Will you chip in to help us reach our goal?
Giving Tuesday is one of our biggest public fundraisers each year and your gifts help ensure we can continue to collect, preserve and share Wisconsin history for generations to come. ... See MoreSee Less
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