Tucked down in the basement of the Public Library, behind barred windows, is one of the most valuable Mineral Point treasures of the past: The Mineral Point Room, also known as "Mineral Point's Root Cellar." The barred windows, by the way, are the reminders that this space was once used for the city jail.

The collection started in 1981 with a large donation of materials from Robert Neal, who along with Edgar Hellum restored the Pendarvis Complex. His donation included 400 books, many maps, photographs, local newspaper files, letters and other written documents, all relating to the Mineral Point area.

These materials formed the nucleus of the Mineral Point Room collection, which has been increasing in size and depth steadily ever since with donations of materials from individual donors. The room also acts as a depository of local written history, preserving it for present and future generations. 

Here is the place for you to go if you have questions or want more information about lead and zinc mining, railroad development, local involvement in the Civil War, industrial and business history, land records, and genealogical information about past residents. If you want to see what Mineral Point looked like in the past, there are hundreds of old photographs. Personal papers range from a series of letters between President Woodrow Wilson, and his friend, Mineral Pointer, David Jones, to the papers of another native son, Allen Ludden, donated by his wife, actress Betty White. 

For more information call the library at 608 987-2447 or e-mail: minptroom@hotmail.com