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
“One year, hollyhocks came out in the front yard. Bob said, ‘Did you plant the hollyhocks?”
And I said, ‘No.”
‘Well,’ he said, ‘Look at, there’s hollyhocks coming, right out in front of Pendarvis.’ And when they had blossomed, he said, ‘Well, of course they would be just yellow or white.’
And I said, ‘Well, birds or something must have carried the seed. What color did you want?’
He said, ‘Wouldn’t it have been marvelous if they’d been dark red?’
And the next year the plants that came were dark red. Boy, that was one time when he wished hard enough.”
-Edgar Hellum on Bob Neal in On the Shake Rag: Mineral Point's Pendarvis House, 1935-1970 ... See MoreSee Less
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Look like what's blooming at our place, love them
A beautiful compliment to Pendarvis buildings!
Hollyhocks are one of my favorites!
Love the story too!
I love red Hollyhocks!
For any Mineral Pointer, the book "On the Shake Rag" is required reading! Thanks for publishing this quote from Edgar.
Ever make dolls out of the bottom and a hip?
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Happy 4th of July!
On this day in 1836, Wisconsin Territory was created. This included present day Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, and the eastern halves of the Dakotas. The first territorial governor Henry Dodge and first secretary John Horner were inaugurated here in Mineral Point.
Pendarvis is closed today, but our sister site First Capitol is open from 10am - 4pm! ... See MoreSee Less
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Just a reminder that we are closed tomorrow, Thursday, July 4th but there are plenty of other activities taking place in town! ... See MoreSee Less
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