Start your history road trip! 

Opening Thurs, May 29

Pick up your 2025 Member PastPort and start collecting stamps when you visit Pendarvis! Redeem your stamps for discounts or even a free year of membership! Not a member? Join today to get in on the fun.

Start your history road trip!

Opening Thurs, May 29

Pick up your 2025 Member PastPort and start collecting stamps when you visit Pendarvis! Redeem your stamps for discounts or even a free year of membership! Not a member? Join today to get in on the fun

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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Wisconsin Historical Society members receive unlimited free admission to our 11 historic sites and museums, a complimentary annual subscription to the Wisconsin Magazine of History, merchandise discounts and more. Join at the Family level and above for added benefits and discounts at over 1,200 organizations nationwide! 


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Pendarvis

Pendarvis

1,683

Tucked away in historic Mineral Point, Pendarvis celebrates the 20th century preservation efforts of

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"Dear Bob:

Just a note to say -- will you be my Valentine!"

Happy Valentine's Day!

📸 Letter from Edgar Hellum to Bob Neal, February 13,1945
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5 days ago
Dear Bob: 

Just a note to say -- will you be my Valentine!

Happy Valentines Day!

📸 Letter from Edgar Hellum to Bob Neal, February 13,1945Image attachment

Comment on Facebook

Bob and Edgar's love story is one of my very faves. <3

A little context for this letter: Pendarvis was closed during World War II as Bob and Edgar worked at Truax air field in Madison (in a civilian capacity) for the war effort. Edgar developed an ulcer and left Truax and went up to Champion, Michigan (in the UP) to spend the winter of 1945 at Gordon McCormick's (their secret benefactor) Great Camp. In the letter "Betty" is Betty Cass, the Madison newspaper columnist who promoted Pendarvis and Mineral Point in the press. The "Chief" was McCormick.

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2 weeks ago

Merry Christmas from all of us at Pendarvis! Pictured here is Pendarvis founder Edgar Hellum with his mother, Milla, at Christmas in the 1960s.

📸 Pendarvis Archives
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2 months ago
Merry Christmas from all of us at Pendarvis! Pictured here is Pendarvis founder Edgar Hellum with his mother, Milla, at Christmas in the 1960s. 

📸 Pendarvis Archives