Vacation Getaway: Historic Attractions in Mineral Point, Wisconsin

Mineral Point., Wisconsin is a historic city that was the first city in Wisconsin to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Pendarvis State Historic Site is where costumed guides lead visitors through the restored miners settlement, telling the story of early immigration and mining in Mineral Point.

Mineral Point, in southwestern Wisconsin, is a small town with the feel of a quaint European Village. The town is set in an area of rich Wisconsin farmland, with rolling hills, farm fields, quiet streams.

Mineral Point was settled by immigrants from Cornwall, in the Southwest tip of England. Immigrants from Cornwall to American settled in the Upper Mississippi Valley Lead Region, including Grant, Iowa and Lafayette counties in Wisconsin; Jo Davies and Stephenson Counties in Illinois and Dubuque County in Iowa.

Cornwall in England was an area that mined tin and copper. In the1800's in Cornwall, poverty and famine hit the mining region, leading to an exodus from England to other parts of the world. Word of the farming and mining opportunities in southwestern Wisconsin reached the English shores bringing many of the Cornish immigrants to the Upper Mississippi Valley.

More that 170 years later, the Cornish influence continues to be evident in Mineral Point. Stone buildings and winding streets take visitors back to a historic era. Traditional Cornish foods such as Cornish pasties, saffron and tea biscuits are served at the restaurants.

Many of the historic buildings in Mineral Point are actually older than the State of Wisconsin itself. The lovingly restored buildings are treasured, long with the history that goes along with them. Historic building in Mineral Point include the Mineral Point Railroad Depot Museum, Mineral Point Opera House, Shake Rage Alley, The Pointer Canine Landmark,and Orchard lawn / Gundry House. The historic area of the downtown district shows examples of limestone cottages and massive Richardsonian Romanesque architecture.