Pendarvis

Step Back In Time

Tucked away in historic Mineral Point, Pendarvis celebrates the 20th century preservation efforts of business and life partners Robert Neal and Edgar Hellum, and the movement they started. Explore their famous restaurant and discover how they saved a significant part of Wisconsin history.
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"The place is not unlike an old document, possessing a philosophy and a feeling of the past."
ROBERT NEAL (WISCONSIN MAGAZINE OF HISTORY, 1946)

CALENDAR

Use our online calendar to see all the exciting events, activities, and programs happening at Pendarvis.
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Tommy Knocker: The Underground Knacker
Coloring Page

Cornish miners firmly believed in the existence of small, ugly, wizened, underground knackers or tommyknockers. They were thought to work alongside the miners in their own much smaller drifts, chipping away at the richest ore. To hear them in your mine was taken as a good sign, because they worked only the choicest ground. Knackers were forces to be reckoned with, however, and they often had to be appeased with a bit of pasty crust at lunchtime. Otherwise they might play pranks on you, such as causing a rock fall to cover your tools or they might pinch out a promising vein of ore.

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People outside of Pendarvis House

PENDARVIS HOUSE

Explore the restored Pendarvis House Restaurant that was once named as a top seven restaurant in the country by the Saturday Evening Post and featured in Gourmet, Life, and National Geographic magazines
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Dirt path leading to a wooden staircase with flowers

MINE HILL TRAILS & PRAIRIE

Hike the 43 acre Merry Christmas Mine Hill Trails & Prairie to see remnants of lead and zinc mining and one of the largest restored prairies in southwestern Wisconsin.

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Image of the Pendarvis House from the sidewalk