Paul Domsten
Billiards room of the Glensheen Mansion
Within the past few years the U of M Duluth started allowing photos to be taken within the mansion. Here is the billiards room more or less the same way as it was originally used.
The construction of the mansion took three years, ending in 1908. At the time, it cost the Congdons $854,000 to build Glensheen (estimated $21 Million in today’s market). It was widely considered an architectural marvel and was outfitted with all the latest technology and luxuries, including 39 rooms and a separate water system from the city designed specifically for the property.
The mansion has a dark side though. In 1977, one of the mansion’s heiresses, named Elisabeth Congdon, and her nurse, Velma Pietila, were both brutally murdered by Roger Caldwell, the second husband of Congdon’s adopted daughter, Marjorie. The nurse was bludgeoned to death with a candlestick and Elisabeth was suffocated in her bed. Up until recently, tour guides were forbidden to discuss the mansion’s murders, although some would reportedly give details upon request.
Billiards room of the Glensheen Mansion
Within the past few years the U of M Duluth started allowing photos to be taken within the mansion. Here is the billiards room more or less the same way as it was originally used.
The construction of the mansion took three years, ending in 1908. At the time, it cost the Congdons $854,000 to build Glensheen (estimated $21 Million in today’s market). It was widely considered an architectural marvel and was outfitted with all the latest technology and luxuries, including 39 rooms and a separate water system from the city designed specifically for the property.
The mansion has a dark side though. In 1977, one of the mansion’s heiresses, named Elisabeth Congdon, and her nurse, Velma Pietila, were both brutally murdered by Roger Caldwell, the second husband of Congdon’s adopted daughter, Marjorie. The nurse was bludgeoned to death with a candlestick and Elisabeth was suffocated in her bed. Up until recently, tour guides were forbidden to discuss the mansion’s murders, although some would reportedly give details upon request.