And the fifth is a James Beard finalist chef. In one thrilling full-circle moment, she discovered a jam recipe of Congdon's wife, Clara, calling for fruit still grown in the kitchen garden. This is a must see for anyone visiting Duluth., I would definitely go there again - very interesting and the tour guides were very knowledgeable., I had been on a tour when I was a young girl and thought it would be fun to go again as an adult. During this time four more children were born to the Congdons: Edward Chester in 1885, Marjorie in 1887, Helen Clara in 1889, and John Adgate in 1891. Chester and Clara were exceptional examples of their own teachings. Jan. 3, 2017. Tom and I went to visit Glensheen Mansion and its estate, located on a prime piece of Duluth real estate, beside Lake Superior. In 1903, the Congdons chose land three miles from downtown Duluth, facing Lake Superior, for a new residence. It is famous for its beauty inside and out, and as the site of one of Minnesotas most notorious murders. Visit neighbors with similar homes. Glensheen Mansion, the historic house-turned-museum in Duluth, is showcasing hidden gems of the old Congdon family, rarely before seen by the public. In the living room, an instrument made of bamboo, called an angklung, can be found next to a video that shows how it is played and what the instrument sounds like. In addition to the main mansion, the estate has its own Carriage House, Gardener's Cottage, and Boathouse on Lake Superior. The in-house spectral ladies must be amused at this tour idea, and must be glad about all the events planned for the public. (18531916). MNOPEDIA. 2004-2023 HauntedHouses.com | All rights reserved unless noted otherwise, Haunted Houses Find Real Haunted Houses, Explore Hauntings and Halloween Attractions, WILL TO MURDER, Gail Feichtinger with John DeSantos & Gary Waller, Fourth Edition, https://www.mprnews.org/story/2014/08/11/ok-to-touch-glensheen-home-museums-rethink-rules-to-lure-visitors, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s58msiMQdko, https://www.fox9.com/news/45-years-since-glensheen-mansion-murders-in-duluth, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glensheen_Historic_Estate. She wasnt divorced from Rodger. In the breakfast room, a Japanese bento box was made out of handcrafted wood. Emily Ford may have a larger plot than most of us, but her rules of (green) thumb apply to any space. Johnston and the Congdons paid close attention to infrastructure; the estate had its own reservoir, a coal delivery system, and central humidification. Moss Mansion, MT (Three members of the Moss family suffered and died from illness and ailments which immobilized them. (Chester Adgate), 1853-1916, Congdon, Clara B. 42,052 were here. Like the trooper she was, she didnt wallow in despair, but instead worked hard in therapy to be able to relearn how to eat by herself, write with her hand, and could take a couple of steps at a time with a walker. Marjorie became frustrated and amped it up a level to attempted murder. He moved onto Elizabeths room and smothered her with a satin pillow. Mansion Floor Plan House Floor Plans Minecraft House Plans (Ships laden with ore still chug past today, headed for Duluth's harbor and iconic Aerial Lift Bridge.) One artifact of particular historic interest is displayed in the billiards room. The exterior is pretty, but the interior and the back story are incredible!, This is a beautiful structure that inspires thoughts of past luxuries. Two much creepier dolls sit in the display case, one with its face completely smashed in. She does a soil test from time to time to check on nutrient levels. This series contains materials related to the Glensheen house, outbuildings, and grounds, their care and maintenance, and the people employed at the estate. Times had changed. My favorite (yeah, I have favorites) is Alfred, Clara's nephew, who lived with the Congdons after being orphaned. As the old ways and rules werent working, the Glensheen Interim Director Dan Hartman and his committee began to think outside of the traditional house museum box and came up with new, creative ways to bring people back, as did many other historical house museums like Edith Wharton Estate: The Mount (haunted houses.com story in MA.). We walked up the walkway that had flower beds on either side, and finally came to the main attraction, Glensheen Mansion, a five story, thirty-nine room, 20,000 sq ft. building. French found furnishings from around the world, as well as having hand-crafted woodwork, gold leaf and silk wallpaper throughout the mansion. He used both art nouveau and Arts and Crafts styles, which were lighter and more elegant than the busy interiors of late-nineteenth-century mansions. This series contains materials related to the Congdons finances, business interests, and Chester A. Congdons political career. (One thing I do know is these dolls may give you nightmares.). While Clara accepted a teaching position at Alexandra College in Belleville, Ontario, and later taught at Wyoming Seminary in Kingston, Pennsylvania, Chester took the New York bar examination and was licensed to practice law in New York. The carriage house and stable structure is long and quite big. Chef Jorge Guzmn's Step-by-Step Guide to Making Tamales. The spirit of Elizabeth and her faithful companion, Velma are restless but take comfort in spending their afterlives together, enjoying the estate and the activities of the living. Paddled by moonlight? The family moved to Duluth in 1892 when Chester saw opportunity in the booming city and the newly industrializing Mesabi Iron Range. She finds some peace in the rooms of the inn, and the positive vibes from vacationers cheer her up). John Adgate passed away in 1893 of scarlet fever.In 1887 Chester, along with his brother Albert, started making business investments in Washington Territory, focusing on developing and selling land. Minnesota Historical Society 345 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55102-1906 (Map) 651-259-3000 var now = new Date();document.write(now.getFullYear()); MNHS. The PAC Program uses a structured three-phase approach . This step away from traditional house museum culture caused some controversy at first. In 1908, iron mogul Chester Congdon completed Glensheen Mansion on Lake Superior's rugged North Shore. She was away from her addiction, and her freedom to plot was curtailed. Johnston, designer of many Summit Avenue mansions, produced a thirty-nine-room giant in the Jacobean Revival style that mimicked English country houses from four centuries earlier. Landscaping was by Charles Wellford Leavitt, Jr. Furnishings and interior design for the family home were by the Willian A. French Company of St. Paul, with the silver electrical fixtures in the dining room by Edward F. Caldwell and Co. of New York. 5 SWEET CORN A secret trial variety that Ford planted for the University of Minnesota. Minnesota Historical Society, 30 December 2016, https://www.mnopedia.org/structure/glensheen-historic-estate. This series contains materials from Chester A. Congdons 1914 trip around the Pacific Ocean, including stops in Tahiti, Rarotonga, New Zealand, Australia, Canton, Java, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. Chester and Clara were married in Syracuse on Sept. 29th, 1881. In an 2014 mprnews article, Glensheen Interim Director Dan Hartman shared that the old ways werent working, as limiting access curtailed the experiences that people wanted. Ford and her crew get first pick of the produce. Materials date from 1899 - 1985.Business, Financial, and Political Records: She sources people with deep knowledge then "skims the cream off the top" to learn what she needs to do her job. Dierckins, Tony. His suicide note claimed that he didnt murder Elizabeth and Velma. Incidents happened that proved that he had married her for her money, to finance his gambling problem. Feeling the need to have a family, Clara went on a trip down south, and came back with a baby girl, whom she named Marjorie, after her sister. He hints that there may be more to come after this showing. Built: 1905-1908 Main house: 39 rooms, 27,000 square feet; 15 bedrooms, 15 bathrooms Grounds: 12 acres Buildings: 5 (mansion, cottage, maintenance building, carriage house, boathouse . Yes, they turned out to be the couple from hell. The name Glensheen reflects the site. The property was bequeathed to the University of Minnesota in 1968, and a handful of students from UMN Duluth make up Ford's crew. Guilford G. Hartley and family scrapbooks, 18821960 The 1,527 sq. Glen, a Scots word for a narrow valley, refers to the ravines of Tischer Creek and Bent Brook, which frame the estate; sheen either comes from Sheen, the Congdons ancestral village in England, or from the reflection of light off the lake. The morning staff found the horror of blood and death, and called the police. Chester was on his way to monetary success when he became the chief counsel for the Olive Iron Mining Company. She would call Elizabeth, trying to get another infusion of funds. Mostly Ford is in the business of re-creation. Workers reconstructed the approach road and a 25-foot brick retaining wall. Staff Interface | ArchivesSpace.org | Hosted by Lyrasis. This temporarily destroyed her and she wound up in a mental hospital for a brief time. They should strive to be successful on their own, according to their interests, for the benefits of their families and society at large. He ran largely in order to oppose a proposed tonnage tax bill that targeted the U.S. Steel Company. A combination of things got her off. Clara was born in San Francisco on April 29, 1854, to Reverend Edward Bannister and Elizabeth Bannister. Her brutal murder crushed the retirement plans. Her social life consisted of activities with her two girlfriends, such as traveling together on trips. These land ventures had mixed results, and in the early 1890s Chester turned his attention to Duluth, Minnesota, which held promise both for practicing law and for other investments. Some of the wall coverings and upholstery are also original. In 1883, Chester established a private law practice, where he remained for the next several years. Contains publications and ephemera collected and used by the Congdons and their household. It opened as a museum in 1979 and has become one of Minnesotas top historic tourist attractions. A resource for reliable information about significant people, places, events, and things in Minnesota history. The land was donated on the condition that the lakeshore would not be developed further, but would be preserved in its natural state. So far so good, according to family tradition. It's one of Duluth's largest tourist attractions. They must enjoy the sport of people-watching, as many visitors walk through their favorite places. The University of Minnesota obtained Glensheen in 1979. Marjorie Congdon Caldwells husband, Roger Caldwell, is convicted of the murders. I enjoy the shock value, Hartman says, explaining that staff had very recently just gone through literally everything, with these objects having been in storage for years. Reggie Christensen The Minnesota Supreme Court reversed Caldwells conviction in 1983. Glensheen Mansion, the Historic Congdon Estate, is a 39-room (15 bedrooms) mansion located in Duluth, MN. East Wind Inn, ME (A woman was betrayed and murdered by her husband because he wanted to be with another woman. The Congdons first priority was their six children, who grew up to be exceptional citizens who were dedicated to their families. Wall and ceiling coverings are made of wool, silk, filled burlap, and gold leaf. Sources:Backerud, Thomas K. Congdon, Chester A. With encouragement from the owner of a Kansas City, Missouri, creperie, youll perfect these delicate pancakes in no time. By her own admission, Emily Ford was an unlikely pick to be head gardener at Glensheen Mansion in Minnesota. Administered by the Minnesota Historical Society. After taking several teaching jobs while looking for employment in law, in 1879 he moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, passed the Minnesota bar exam, and began his Midwest career at the law firm of Pierce, Stephenson, and Mainzer. Instead, she decided that husbands could only hurt her, so she wouldnt marry for love, only for the opportunity to use them. She brought her attorney a cake for his birthday, and talked to the prosecutor about contributing to a charity. Pederson Jandl explained that one of the previous staff members was particularly intrigued by a package that sat on one of the bookshelves. It is the user's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and to obtain all necessary permissions prior to the reproduction, publication, or other use of any portion of these materials. Congdon Family papers, U6192, Archives and Special Collections, Martin Library, University of Minnesota Duluth. He shares his unhappy story while playfully getting his own chuckles). It is the 3rd episode of the 1st season and aired on May 6, 2015. Long before Elizabeths stroke she suffered in her mid-eighties, she knew that her family couldnt afford to maintain Glensheen, and fearing that they would sell it, she came up with a plan. Lights go on and off by themselves, like someone is inside the room, despite the house being empty. Examine fire insurance maps for your neighborhood. Materials date from 1899 - 1985. Elisabeth Congdon adopts two daughters, Marjorie and Jennifer. Last year, Ford planted 15 varieties of tomato. Glensheen Mansion, MN (Eighty-eight year-old Elizabeth had diabetes, and because of a stroke, she couldnt speak and was confined to a wheelchair. (Clara Hesperia Bannister), 1854-1950, d'Autremont, Helen Congdon (Helen Clara Congdon), 1889-1966, https://lib.d.umn.edu/research-collections/archives. It is famous for its beauty inside and out, and as the site of one of Minnesota's most notorious murders. He lasted five more years before he killed himself. ), Stories of Minnesota's Greatest Generation, Stories of LGBTQ Communities in Minnesota, Teaching Native American History and Culture, Minnesota Center for Social Studies Education (CSSE). Glensheen marketing manager Jane Pederson Jandl describes these finds as peeling away the onion on the Congdon family. The property was extensively damaged by major flooding in Duluth in 2012. 2 RHUBARB An old-fashioned stapleEmily Ford guesses Glensheen's plants are at least 100 years old! Glensheen, a mansion and grounds completed in 1908 on the shores of Lake Superior in Duluth, was built by Chester and Clara Congdon. The boys bedrooms have a happy light aura. As well as continuing to pursue mining interests on the Mesabi Range, he invested in copper mining in Ajo and Bisbee, Arizona. In 1968, she made a deal with nearby Duluth University to be the new owners and open it and the estate up for the public to enjoy. They also pick rocks from the sloping lawn after storms, when the Big Lake literally throws stones at the stately homean irony not lost on the lapsed geologist. The family returned to New York following Edwards death in 1871, and Clara enrolled in Syracuse University shortly afterwards. Millett, Larry. Congdon moves to St. Paul, where he joins the law firm of Pierce, Stephenson, and Mainzer. Both daughters did well in school, were avid readers and went to college. Chester and Clara decided to build their forever home, choosing fourteen acres in a beautiful area next to Lake Superior, with land for vegetable gardens, flowers, animals and recreation, and lots of room for their children to grow up. A huge cold spot has been reported by the living while standing on the landing of the staircase where Velma Pietila was murdered. Boost Your Home's Curb Appeal With These Ideas from a Minneapolis Makeover. There were tennis courts and a swimming pool for the family to enjoy as well as a boat house for more recreational opportunities. Congdon Trust files are also included in this series. In 1895, the family moved to 1509 E. Superior Street, to a house designed by Oliver Traphagen. In one awful month in 1868, three of Chesters siblings died of scarlet fever, and his father died of pneumonia. Mistakes were made by the police and some evidence was compromised, but after gathering other strong evidence, Rodger was arrested, tried and sentenced to two life terms. Site preparation for the estate began on May 5, 1905. Soon after establishing their practice in Duluth, Billson and Congdon were hired to represent the Oliver Mining Company in negotiations with the Merritts over mining rights. 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