If you find yourself looking for something interesting to do and don’t want to go far from home to do it, you may want to check out Orchard Lawn in Mineral Point.  But you’d better hurry, because the facility closes for the season at the end of October.  It is open on Thursday-Sunday, 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm, May through October (27th).  What better way to spend a bright, blue October afternoon than strolling the grounds of Orchard Lawn Manor and stopping downtown to shop and enjoy lunch or dinner?

      My husband and I did just that on a crisp September day.  After walking up and down the hills of downtown Mineral Point and purchasing some early Christmas gifts in the town’s delightful shops, we stopped for an iced tea at Brewery Creek Inn and  Bed and Breakfast, 23 Commerce Street.   After a time of refreshment we strolled to The Foundry Books, a treasure store of Wisconsin history located at the bottom of the hill at 105 Commerce Street.  A brochure advertising a Black Hawk War exhibit at Orchard Lawn caught our eye.   The friendly woman at the desk informed us that if we hurried, we could get there in time for the last tour of the afternoon.  More shopping could wait, we decided; and we hurried to our car to get to Orchard Lawn in time. 

     I’m glad we did.  Doris Schaff, volunteer guide, was waiting for us, ready to spend over an hour taking just the two of us on our own private tour of the lovely limestone home.  It is obvious that she loves the house; she almost made the walls talk.  At the close of the tour, who should appear at the door but the same friendly woman we had seen earlier at Foundry Books.  She introduced herself as Janet Wheaton, manager of Orchard Lawn.  A business card gave her husband’s name; he is Kendall Wheaton of the Ken Wheaton Trio.  After thanking her for encouraging us to take the tour, we spent some time outdoors taking some snapshots.   Hungry, we decided to follow the signs advertising a pasty dinner at the Methodist Church, another historical building in Mineral Point.  What a wonderful way to spend a day!  Now, if I can just talk my husband into going to a Ken Wheaton Trio concert …. or going back to Mineral Point to spend a night at the Brewery Creek B&B …. or …..ummmmmm…… I wonder where’ll we go next?

Sharon Carns (pictured above in the gazebo) recently visited Orchard Lawn, a house museum in Mineral Point that preserves the grand architecture and gracious lifestyle of the 1800s.   Orchard Lawn was home for the Joseph and Sarah (Perry) Gundry family and is sometimes called the Gundry House.

Orchard Lawn, 234 Madison Street, Mineral Point, is a classic Italianate style home built for the Joseph Gundry family in 1868 from locally quarried sandstone.  The property has been part of the Mineral Point Historical Society since 1939.

Orchard Lawn is open for individual tours on Thursday-Sunday afternoons May-October (27th).  Group and bus tours are available by appointment.  The home and gardens can also be rented for meetings, reunions and weddings.  For more information, call Janet Wheaton, Orchard Lawn Manager, at 608-987-2884.

An informational sign tells the story of the Gundry House, known as Orchard Lawn because of its apple orchards and park-like surroundings.  Joseph Gundry emigrated from Cornwall, England to Mineral Point in 1845.  He married Sarah Perry and raised seven children here.  The Gundrys were prominent members of the Mineral Point community.   Their business interests included mining, banking and drygoods merchandising.

The gazebo, a lovely space for wedding photos, provides a frame for the newly-restored Orchard Lawn.  The property reopened in May 2002 after completion of Phase One of a restoration project.  In 1997 Dean Connors, current president of the Mineral Point Historical Society, spearheaded a restoration planning committee; more restoration is planned for the future.

Doris Schaaf, Mineral Point, pages through a Gundry family scrapbook in the library of Orchard Lawn.  The library features a high ceiling, elaborate woodwork and period furnishings.

Local volunteers give Orchard Lawn tours Thursdays - Sundays from May through October (27th).  Doris Schaff, volunteer, stands by a mannequin and a washstand in an upstairs bedroom.  Wallpaper styles have been studied and replicated.

In this print, from a drawing by current Iowa County Judge Bill Dyke, who was also a two time Mayor of Madison, the honey-colored limestone of Orchard Lawn seems to glow.  The sandstone for the Gundry home was quarried locally.  A Madison architect, V. Shipman, designed the home; he also designed the dome of the second state capitol building built in Wisconsin.

A zinc pointer dog sign still stands guard over the building that once housed the Gundry and Gray store.  Located on High Street in downtown Mineral Point, this drygoods store was owned by Joseph Gundry and his business partner, John Gray.  By the time of the Civil War, Gundry was a wealthy man.

From May-October 27th Orchard Lawn features a Black Hawk exhibit; the collection belongs to Cliff and Michele Krainik of Warrenton, Virginia. Orchard Lawn plans to showcase other exhibits in the future.  For information, call 1-888-POINT-WI, check the Chamber of Commerce website at www.mineralpoint.com or send an email query to: info@mineralpoint.com.

On May 4, 2002 this marker located on the corner of Commerce and Fountain Streets in Mineral Point was unveiled and dedicated.  This was the location of Fort Jackson, erected in 1832 to protect the miners and other settlers from attack by Black Hawk and his warriors.  The fort was a supply depot and distribution point for supplies for Henry Dodge and others who defended the surrounding Lead Mining Region.