Pendarvis

Pendarvis Learn more about the first Wisconsin “badgers,” the Cornish who built up Mineral Point, and the two men who saved that history almost 100 years later.

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 Cornish immigration and mining stories they saved. Tucked away in historic Mineral Point, Pendarvis celebrates the restoration and preservation efforts of Robert Neal and Edgar Hellum, who saved a significant part of Wisconsin’s past.

There is a lot to see and do with our friends in Cassville this Saturday at Stonefield Historic Site!
08/27/2026

There is a lot to see and do with our friends in Cassville this Saturday at Stonefield Historic Site!

“We feel that what people want and like is to retreat and escape from reality as much as possible, and to make them forg...
08/14/2026

“We feel that what people want and like is to retreat and escape from reality as much as possible, and to make them forget where they are, by being as individual as possible in everything that we do and especially in the surroundings.”

Bob Neal, August 31, 1938

Join us for our Behind the Scenes tour next Friday, August 21 to hear more about historic preservation visionaries Bob Neal and Edgar Hellum, and their lives here at Pendarvis. This tour gives participants the opportunity to go into spaces not seen by most guests and to understand their vision of building Pendarvis into a premier tourist destination. Tickets at: pendarvis.wisconsinhistory.org/upcoming-events/

Happy birthday to Pendarvis co-founder Bob Neal!Born in 1906 in Mineral Point, Bob lived and worked in Chicago, New York...
07/27/2026

Happy birthday to Pendarvis co-founder Bob Neal!

Born in 1906 in Mineral Point, Bob lived and worked in Chicago, New York City, and London in his 20s. He returned to Mineral Point in 1934, then bought and restored his first Cornish cottage in 1935 with business and life partner Edgar Hellum. This first home was named Pendarvis and was the start of Bob's lifelong work with Edgar to preserve Mineral Point history.

📸 Bob Neal, Pendarvis Archives

Join us this, Friday, July 17, for our Behind the Scenes tour! This 2 hour tour takes visitors through rooms and buildin...
07/14/2026

Join us this, Friday, July 17, for our Behind the Scenes tour! This 2 hour tour takes visitors through rooms and buildings usually off limits to visitors. This tour will focus on Bob and Edgar’s private life at Pendarvis from 1935-1970 and how they were able to make a small Cornish cottage into a nationally renowned restaurant.

Click here to book your tickets: https://wihist.org/4ebPmRA

Pendarvis and First Capitol staff have spent some time over the last couple of weeks doing safety training at the sites....
07/14/2026

Pendarvis and First Capitol staff have spent some time over the last couple of weeks doing safety training at the sites. Thanks to the expertise of our facilities team, we were even able to do some hands on training!

Join us at First Capitol at 5pm today for a reading of the Declaration of Independence! The site is open all day for tou...
07/08/2026

Join us at First Capitol at 5pm today for a reading of the Declaration of Independence! The site is open all day for tours.

“One year, hollyhocks came out in the front yard. Bob said, ‘Did you plant the hollyhocks?” And I said, ‘No.”‘Well,’ he ...
06/26/2026

“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

Thanks to our friends at the Driftless Historium & Mount Horeb Area Historical Society for giving a behind the scenes lo...
06/25/2026

Thanks to our friends at the Driftless Historium & Mount Horeb Area Historical Society for giving a behind the scenes look at the exhibits and museum to Pendarvis staff yesterday. Our group enjoyed seeing all of the exhibits and archival and storage spaces. Make sure to stop by the museum when you're in the Mount Horeb area!

Address

114 Shake Rag Street
Mineral Point, WI
53565

Opening Hours

Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

+16089872122

Website

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