20 TH ANNUAL CORNISHFEST
The 20th Annual Cornish Fest will be held in Mineral Point 28-30 September 2012.
Schedule of events going on in the city on that weekend will be published shortly
SW WISCONSIN CORNISH SOCIETY
TO MEET MAY 6.
The Southwest Wisconsin Cornish Society will hold its Annual Meeting and election of officers on Sunday May 6, 2012, at the Masonic Temple at 200 West Chapel Street, Dodgeville. A potluck dinner will begin at 12:30 p.m. Please bring your own table service and dishes to pass. Beverage will be furnished.
The Dodgeville Temple has recently undergone some renovation in preparation of the placement of the Masonic Archives from Dousman to the Dodgeville location which will become a Masonic Museum for the State of Wisconsin.
Among the first service organizations in Dodgeville was the Masonic Lodge which was organized in 1859. The group met in various halls above downtown stores until 1930 when the large Neoclassical building on West Chapel Street was constructed for a total cost of $55,000. Luman Strong served as the first Worshipful Master. Another prominent Dodgeville Mason was Judge Aldro Jenks, who served as Grand Master in the local Chapter as well as Grand Master of the State of Wisconsin.
Marion Howard will present “Thomas Jefferson’s Grand Plan”, a program telling of Jefferson’s dream of development of the old Northwest Territory, and how it was developed into the states and counties of Southwest Wisconsin as we know them today.
No reservations needed and all are welcome. We especially invite Dodgeville Masons and all Dodgeville folk of Cornish heritage.
CORNISH MEMORIAL
A memorial to the Cornish who migrated to this region in the 1800's is being installed in the Mineral Point Library by the Southwest Wisconsin Cornish Society. The memorial, a bas-relief mural of dimensional clay with colour, has been commissioned to be designed and constructed by Bruce Howdle, Artist in Residence, renowned Bas Relief maker and Professor at the University of Wisconsin, Platteville. The mural will include Cornwall's mining heritage, our Cornish mining, and our farming connections.
Contributions to this memorial are greatly appreciated. Donations should be made payable to the Southwest Wisconsin Cornish Society and mailed to Catherine A. Whitford, 150 Jail Alley, Mineral Point, WI 53565-1212. Credit cards may be used by telephoning 608.987.9930 or 608.987.2545.
16 th International Gathering of Cornish Cousins Comes off without a Hitch
-
Almost
After several weeks of smothering heat and humidity, the weather gods (or was it the Piskies?) blessed the Cornish Cousins who came to Mineral point to celebrate their common Celtic heritage on August 10-14. The weather was glorious, almost cool at times, and just right for whatever one wanted to do - tramp about or sit and relax. With plentiful rainfall all summer the countryside was never greener.
The bus trips were very successful as visitors marveled at the rolling hills and fertile fields of Southwest Wisconsin. Most of the workshops were well attended by truly interested people. The food was excellent and the entertainment was outstanding. The Pub Night and the Crawdy Crawn at Pendarvis, as well as the tours of the site, were well attended. The addition of readings by Cornish authors at the education center at Pendarvis on Pub Night provided a something for everyone event for the evening. There were few dry eyes by the conclusion of "Cry of Tin" presented by members of the Grass Valley Choir and their director, Eleanor Kenitzer. Toes were tapping to the lively tunes of IONA.
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Krystal Blabaum, Lady of Flowers, and Howard Curnow, Bard of the Cornish Gorseth
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The only glitch of the event was the sudden deluge that fell on Saturday afternoon, canceling the Gorsedd ceremony, planned to be held at Orchard Lawn. However, all was not lost, as a very abbreviated ceremony featuring the lovely Lady of Flowers, Krystal Blabaum, was performed within the Bardic circle at the banquet on Saturday evening. Gathering attendees came from 20 states other than Wisconsin, Australia and Cornwall.
CORNWALL FAMILY HISTORY
SOCIETY RECORDS
We are fortunate to have the records from the Cornwall
Family History Society available to us on line in Southwest
Wisconsin for researching our Cornish ancestors. Birth,
death, and marriage records that happened in Cornwall
are all accessible on CFHS records. You may contact
either one of the two convenient depositories at the
Southwest Wisconsin Room in the Ulsvick Hall at the
University of Wisconsin-Platteville (608-342-1719)
or at the Mineral Point Room in the Public Library
in Mineral Point, Wisconsin (608-987-2447). They are
available FREE for your use and you may order copies
of documents from Cornwall for a small fee. Please
remember that these records are a work in progress,
not a finished product. We suggest you call ahead to
make certain the facility is open and available on
the day you wish to visit. The Mineral Point Room is
open only on Thursday afternoon and evening and on
Saturday.
In addition to the CFHS records, you may be surprised
at the array of genealogical information you may find
at both of these fine libraries.
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