THE TOUR MANUAL
2019
Volume 2
Last Edited 5/27/2019
Table of Contents
General Information
Mission, Vision, Values, Educational Goals, & Ethics ....................................... pg. 3
General Admission Tour Information: Floors 1, 2, & Basement ...................... pg. 5
Full Mansion Tour ............................................................................................... pg. 21
Nooks and Crannies ........................................................................................... pg. 29
Flashlight Tour .................................................................................................... pg. 43
Servants Tour ...................................................................................................... pg. 49
Limited Mobility Tour ......................................................................................... pg. 65
Summer Evening Tour ........................................................................................ pg. 66
Garden & Grounds Tour ..................................................................................... pg. 67
Reference
Congdon Family Timeline ................................................................................. pg. 91
Duluth Timeline 1874 - 1915 ............................................................................ pg. 92
National Timeline ............................................................................................... pg. 94
Oliver Mining Company History ....................................................................... pg. 96
Glossary .............................................................................................................. pg. 98
Other/further reading .................................................................................... pg. 104
Writers, Editors, & Researchers: Brandon Hartung, Blake Romenesko, Evette Steinkraus,
Jack Salmela, Barbara Boo, Daniel Hartman.
Mission Statement
To inspire Minnesota pride by preserving and sharing the legacy of Glensheen and
to serve as an incubator for positive change.
Vision Statement
To be the best historic house museum in the upper Midwest by engaging our
community through our dedication to education, inspiration, preservation and
innovation.
Core Values
Preserve Educate Inspire Innovate Experience Community
Educational Goals
We are committed to the land grant mission of the university of Minnesota; it is our
role to educate all citizens of Minnesota.
One Assert the importance of preserving authentic spaces
Two Insure an appreciation of the arts with an emphasis on Minnesota
artists & craftspeople
Three Explore Glensheen’s grounds and waterways to showcase
Minnesota’s outdoor surroundings
Four Interpret Glensheen’s story to share the broader history of Minnesota
Ethics Statement
To Maintain professional standards in all functions of the museum by adhering to
the recommended practices and the code of ethics of the American Alliance of
Museums.
The Tour Manual | Page 3
“General Admission”
Tour Information
Walk-Up Information
The 22 acre estate was built for Clara and Chester Congdon, their 6 children,
nephew, and typically 8 domestic servants (7 servants who lived on the property
and one who travelled for work). Construction began in 1905. The mansion and
most buildings were occupied by late 1908, and the estate had a price tag of
$854,000.¹* Roughly adjusted for ination: $23,721,520² Chester was an attorney
by trade and nancier; he notably made a large fortune in iron speculation on
the Mesabi and Vermillion Ranges. Duluth was a growing urban area, and a major
hub of nance, industry, trade and shipping in the upper-midwest (See section:
A Brief Duluth History). The buildings were designed by Minnesota architect
Clarence Johnston Sr. with landscape by Charles Leavitt Jr. of New York. The
‘Carriage House’ includes, milking parlor, horse stables, tack room, storage, and
maintenance area for carriages and automobiles. The parking lot was initially
pasture and paddock space for horses, cows, and chickens. We still have the
original 8 carriages and sleighs on the second oor of the carriage house that can
be viewed as a part of our exclusive Nooks and Crannies Tour.
The end section of the carriage house (north side) was used as quarters for male
employees and their families if they had any. Between 1908 and 1915 there were
at least three men living in this area. The stableman/coachman Aaron Anderson
(1906-1910) took care of animals and the stable area. The rst houseman on record
is Barney (last name unknown) he started employment in 1912, this gentleman
was in charge of maintenance, pest control, and boiler/replace operations.
Finally, Rudolph Miller a driver/chauffeur and German immigrant specialized in
automobile and carriage transportation. (Dates of employment unknown, he was
around to drive the Congdons during a 1911 road trip in Europe). Today this area
is used for administrative ofces.
Next is the gardener’s cottage which housed the Head Gardener and his
family. Most recently this is where Bob and Elsie Wyness lived. Bob rst came
to Glensheen in 1921 when he was only six years old and his father, George
Wyness, was hired as a fourth head gardener. Bob grew up here, learning all about
gardening from his father and eventually took over his father’s job, as the fth
head gardener in 1945. Bob retired in 1985, he and his wife lived in the cottage
until 2004. Next to the gardener’s cottage are vegetable gardens. Most of our
produce currently is given to local food pantries. Beyond the rst tier are two
_______________________________________________
¹* This number is an approximation of totals taken from day books recording construction cost, architectural design by Clarence Johnston Sr., and
interior furnishing & design by Wm. A. French & Co.
² https://www.ofcialdata.org/us/ination/1908?amount=854000
The CPI ination Calculator for the Bureau of Labor Statistics will adjust for the year 1913 this may also be used.
The Tour Manual - General Admission | Page 5
formal gardens, then the clay tennis court and then the bowling green, which was
designed for lawn games such as croquet and lawn bowling. There was at one
point 3,000 square feet of greenhouses attached to the gardener’s cottage that
would run up the terrace space, it was removed in the 1970’s because of costs.
The building by the lake is the boat house, which used to store the Congdon’s 53-
foot yacht, the Hesperia, named after Clara Hesperia Congdon. The yacht burned
in 1916, and the family never replaced it.
The mansion has three oors, a basement, and an attic: ve levels in all. The home
has approximately 32,000 gross square feet and within that is 20,000 square
feet³* of living space, over 39 rooms, 15 bedrooms, 15 replaces, and originally
10 bathrooms (7 full and 3 half baths). Living in the home with the Congdons
there were two maids and a cook. A butler was here almost every day as well; he
managed the house.
Main Hall and Entryway
Guests to Glensheen were greeted at the doors by William Atherton the family’s
rst butler.
- The stained glass throughout was done by the Linden Art Glass Company
of Chicago
- Green hexagonal oor tiles in the anteroom are from the Grueby Tile
Company.
- The main hall is paneled from oor to ceiling with fumed white oak which is
not stained in a traditional sense, but exposed to ammonia fumes which
causes a reaction with the tannins in the wood causing it to darken. The
longer the wood is fumed the darker it gets. This oak likely went 8-12 hours
of fuming.
- The glass light shades are from the Quezal Art Glass Company of
Brooklyn, New York.
- The brass xtures were designed by the Edward F. Caldwell Co. of New
York.
- These large chairs and settees are designed after 17th century pieces.
- Several xtures include depictions of “lions heads” and what some attribute
to be “pineapples.” Speculation as to the meaning of these symbols
is arguable. Other woodworks include ‘rosettes’ and elaborate ‘strapwork’.
[Note: It is up to the guide to give context and historical background on content.
Most individuals have never heard of the Grueby Co. for instance. If you use names
of people, companies, or broad terms please give some background and a brief
explanation. Great chance to use the GLOSSARY!]
The butler escorted guests to the Reception Room, where they would wait until
_______________________________________________
³ St. Louis County, MN. “Property Details Report 010-1370-07230.” 2/26/2018., pg. 2
* University of MN Building oor list, building 567 (Glensheen) 20, 659 Assignable Square Feet & 32,212 Gross Square Feet
The Tour Manual - General Admission | Page 6
their hosts were available to receive or greet them. On occasion a guest may
present a calling card: a card bearing a person’s name and address, sent or left in
lieu of a formal social or business visit.
Reception Room
- The Circassian walnut used for the woodwork and furniture is native to
the Black Sea region of southwest Russia and was imported to England and
the eastern U.S. for cabinetry and furniture manufacturing. Even today it is
sought after for gun stock manufacturing.
- The walls are covered in silk damask.
- The ceiling is nished in gold leaf, which is complemented glass shaded
lights made by the (Quezal Co.)
- The bowl pendant light as well as the urn and vase are from Italy and made
of alabaster.
- Also from Italy is the small coffee table made with inlaid marble.
- Two sets of portieres, or door curtains, hang in each doorway. One set
complements the decor of the room it faces. The other complements the
hallway.
- Electric lighting is original to the home. The rst electric generator in Duluth
was installed in a sawmill in 1882.
Den/Smoking room/Chester’s Ofce
The room’s exotic design is currently attributed to John Bradstreet, a famous
interior designer of Minneapolis, who helped found the Minneapolis Institute
of Arts. The wood used throughout the room is Japanese cypress. The wood
treatment technique is called jin-di-sugi, which John Bradstreet adapted after
study in Japan. Part of the process uses a torch to burn away the soft brous part of
the wood leaving a highly textured feel that highlights the grain.
- The grasscloth wall covering is not original. The original walls were hung
with “Golden Bronze burlap paper” and the ceiling between beams was
hung with “Metal Japanese Burlap stained dull gold” according to
the Summary of Estimate by Wm. A French.
- A water lily motif is evident in the hand-beaten light shades, designed by an
instructor with the Handicraft Guild of Minneapolis.
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connect to a panel in the kitchen. This servants bell system is run by
_______________________________________________
Google Dictionary
Macdonald, Dora Mary. This is Duluth. Ashland, WI: Paradigm Press, 1999.
Wm. A French & Co. Summary of Estimate Sept. 16-08, sheet 1.
Ibid.,sheet 1.
“AT&T: History: Origins”. Corp.att.com. Archived from the original on 20 August 2012. The Tour Manual - General Admission | Page 7
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The intercom was installed in order to communicate throughout the estate.
Not only was there this closed circuit estate phone but there was a city
phone on almost every oor of the mansion and in the other buildings.
Phones were gaining much use in America at the turn of the century. In 1904
there were 3.3 million phones in the U.S. and Duluth’s rst phone company
was organized in 1881. The annunciator system is a series of buttons that
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magnets and electric current, off the city electric grid (and supposedly a dry
cell battery as a backup.) Mechanical call systems were in use even in the
mid-1800s. With the growing inux of immigrants making up the domestic
servant class in the U.S., many middle class homes had annunciators
and servants to attend to them.
#1 Educational Moment
The estates construction was possible because of Chester’s success on the Mesabi
Iron Range as the attorney for Henry Oliver. As his attorney, Chester would soon
rise from middle class to become one of the wealthiest and most inuential men in
Minnesota.
Chester moved to Duluth in 1892 at request of his friend William Billson. Billson
wanted Chester to become his business partner at his law rm here in Duluth.
Chester was reluctant at the thought of moving his family and leaving behind the
prospects of a solid, successful law rm in St. Paul. However, he could not turn a
blind eye to the potential of Duluth. It was booming at the time and, with its port,
was primed for major economic development from lumber, and the newfound iron
ore reserves on the Mesabi Range. As the Congdons were making their transition
to Duluth, others were becoming interested in the Mesabi as well.
One of the great Pittsburgh steel makers, Henry W. Oliver, did take interest in
the Mesabi and incorporated the Oliver Mining Company (see History of Oliver
Mining Company for more info) in 1892 buying his rst lease from Leonidas
Merritt in the same year. He was told the best legal advice available in the area
was William Billson. When Oliver went to Billson’s ofce, though, he discovered
that Billson would be away for an extended period of time. He agreed reluctantly
to meet with Chester Congdon and, when the two met, a lifelong connection was
formed both professionally and personally. By 1894 Congdon became Oliver’s
legal counsel overseeing the company’s second mining lease purchase.
In 1901 Oliver sold his Oliver Mining Company to J.P. Morgan which became a
part of the United States Steel Corporation virtually unemploying both Oliver and
Congdon.
Congdon formed two new companies Chemung Iron Company (with Henry Oliver)
and Canisteo Mining Company (with Guilford Hartley.) Primarily using Congdon’s
knowledge attained during his Oliver years, these companies bought up lower
grade iron ore lands, mostly on the western Mesabi, then after some convincing
leased out the properties to U.S. Steel.
Congdon had a number of other investments including Congdon Orchards in
Yakima, WA and copper mines in Bisbee and Ajo, AZ.
_______________________________________________
(Hoover 48-49)
(Hoover 51)
(Evans 216)
(Boese 12-17)
(Evans 282)
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Living Room
- The large replace, faced with red Numidian marble from Algeria.
- Mahogany is used throughout the room in the woodwork, furniture, and the
custom-case Steinway piano
- The walls hung with “Antique Goats Hair Satin.” This is most likely mohair.
- Paris by Day Paris by Night Lamp in the corner shows Paris during the day
when off and during the night when on. When the lamp is on light only
shines through windows in buildings, street scenes, storefronts, and signs
(no cars or stars.)
- The piece on the eisel used to hang to the left of the replace and was
acquired by CAC while traveling to Japan year 1914. Depicted is the Yoro
waterfall in the providence of Mino (silk embroidery) by Naraga Yozo.
William A. French of St. Paul was one the most well-regarded interior designers
at the turn-of-the-century in the Midwest. Mr. Congdon served as the Vice
President of Wm. A. French & Co. and commissioned the company to design and
manufacture almost every room in this house. Some of the furniture was custom-
made for the interior and exemplies the highest level of craftsmanship. French
& Co. even designed piano legs for the Steinway Parlor piano these would match
the design of other mahogany pieces in the room like the table, sofa, and music
cabinet.
[Note: The french doors anking the replace open to the porch. The porch had wicker
furniture and a view of Ticher Creek which is located in a “glen” (a narrow valley), which
may be the source for the name Glensheen. The “sheen” has had much speculation
as to its origin but was likely added to reect to the shine of the waters of the creek
and Lake Superior. The earliest known use of the term seems to have been by Clara in
1904. ]
Library
Hanging to the right are portraits of CBC 1904 & CAC 1907 by David Ericson
- The facing of the mantle is highlighted with lustre tiles.
- The pair of hanging lamps that ank the replace were brought here from
an Egyptian mosque.
- As in the Living Room, mahogany was used throughout for furniture and
woodwork.
- The ceiling is made of anaglypta; an embossed blended paper.
- Italian wool tapestry line the walls.
- Clara enjoyed painting and was quite good at it, as you can see from the
painting on the mantel. Mrs. Congdon painted this copy of Peter Paul
Rubens’ David.
_______________________________________________
Wm. A French & Co. Summary of Estimate Sept. 16-08, sheet 1.
Congdon, Clara. Clara Congdon Diary 1853-1907. Diary. University of Minnesota, Glensheen Collection.
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- The portraits in the upper corner are of Chester and Clara Bannister
Congdon. Chester died in 1916-at the age of sixty-three, due to a
pulmonary embolism. He lived at Glensheen only eight years. Clara
continued to live at Glensheen until her death in 1950, at age ninety-six.
Elisabeth, their only child who never married, remained in the family home
until her death in 1977.
(Photographs of illustrations are from the inside of the Edgar Allan Poe book, and
there is a photograph of Chester’s opinion from the True History of the Civil War.
Chester occasionally left negative reviews in books he did not enjoy.)
If you have person(s) on your tour who can not use the stairs, alert the nearest
“Associate or Security Staff”. In order to have a video played for them while you
continue your tour on the second oor and pick the guest backup once back on
the second oor.
Stairway Landing/Second Floor Hallway
The stained glass windows, overlooking the formal gardens, feature a shield and
a Tudor rose design which is repeated in the stenciled borders of the canvas
wall covering on the second oor. A Tudor rose is a stylized ve-petal rose with a
smaller rose set in its center. It became the royal emblem of England beginning
in 1485. English style was being revisited by the 20th century western ideals of
“Anglo superiority” and the growing ‘new’ wealth in America that sought its value
and meaning in reecting the culture of wealth in feudal England. The grandfather
clock on the landing dates back to 1812 it was family heirloom.
Mr. and Mrs. Congdon, their daughters, guests and three female servants occupied
the bedrooms on the second oor. On the third oor are six more bedrooms for
the three Congdon sons, their cousin Alfred Bannister, as well as an inrmary, and
guest bedroom.
Marjorie’s (Blue) Room
Marjorie was born in St. Paul on January 12, 1887 she was the third child and was
Chester and Clara Congdon’s oldest daughter. In 1908 Marjorie was 21 years
old. Marjorie Congdon was a graduate of Dana Hall in Wellesley, Mass. After
graduation, she lived and studied in Italy for a period of time. She married Harry
Dudley, a mining engineer, in 1917 at the age of 30. Marjorie was active in the First
Methodist Church here in Duluth. She was a member of the Duluth YWCA Board
and played an active role in the function of the national Board of the YWCA, as
well as being a member of its World Service Council. She was also a member of
other organizations, including the Duluth Women’s Club, The Junior League, the
Duluth Art Institute, the Duluth Women’s Republican Club, and the Ladies Auxiliary
_______________________________________________
(Hoover, 142)
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of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers. Known as a
philanthropist, she was a donor to the University of Minnesota, Duluth, including
specic donations for such gifts as the Dudley Experimental Theatre.
- Enameled birch woodwork has always been painted. All the painted wood
throughout the house is birch.
- The bookcase by the window spins all the way for easy access to books.
- Beside the bed is a paper lamp shade that “blooms” when it is lighted.
- The drop-leaf table on the right side of the bed has a cloth basket to store
sewing supplies.
- A ventilation system aired out closets during summer months and was
designed as a breezeway for general home cooling. By opening an outside
window in the bathroom and the windows in the closet, the cool lake
breezes could circulate through the closets.
- Each room in the house has its own thermostat (Each house is zoned for
its own series of radiators). Some thermostats have an odd descriptive
scale, for instance: “Freezing” at 32 degrees fahrenheit and “blood heat”
for 98 degrees fahrenheit, a trendy addition for the time.
More Hallway
- Portraits of Clara and Chester Congdon, which are on the left side upper
wall as one approaches the master bedroom suite, Clara’s was painted in
1936 by Gaspar Ruffolo. Chesters portrait is attributed to David
Ericson. Though they were the same age, Mr. Congdon appears younger
because his portrait was painted after his death from a photograph.
Mrs. Congdon is shown at the age of 82.
- Across from the portraits is a cherry secretary desk, another family heirloom.
Master Bedroom Suite/Mrs. Congdon’s Room
At the entry are Linden Art Glass panels, there is a small closet with a ventilating
window and large brass hooks for hat storage. On most blueprints and call system
labels this is called Mrs. Congdon’s room.
- The woodwork is American walnut.
- The replace is the focal point of the room and is faced in lustre tiles
similar to those in the library. The tiles feature a pomegranate design which
is repeated on the chair, pillow, and curtain embroidery. The pomegranate
is regarded as a western symbol for happiness and fertility.
- Originally, a stenciled border of pomegranate, leaves and owers appear
above the picture rail. More than likely covered in the 1950’s.
- The small statue in the room is of Mrs. Congdon doing her needlework and
was given to her by her children in 1931.
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Leaving the bedroom, you will pass through the Dressing Room.
- On the dresser is a photo of John who died two days shy of his second
birthday. The doctor believed it was German Measles (Rubella) although he
admitted he didn’t truly know.
- The balcony is directly over the porch, and extends the full-width of the
west end of the house overlooking Tischer Creek (the glen).
The next room is the Master Bathroom.
- It has the oor’s only shower, which contains nine shower heads, and has
the availability for 18.
- The small tub is a sitz bath for bathing or soaking the nether regions.
Chester’s Room
A custom for wealthy Victorians was to have the man and wife sleep in separate
quarters. By the time this house was being built that custom was quickly on its way
out.
- High above the replace is a small light bulb that was part of a security
system installed when the house built. In key locations throughout
the house are similar bulbs wired to a circuit that could be activated
by a switch on each oor. This allowed the house to be illuminated in case
of an emergency.
- The clock on the mantel is a family heirloom with no specic history. It was
made by Chauncey Ives (Bristol, Connecticut).
- Chester Congdon, served two terms in the Minnesota House of
Representatives 1909 and 1911 as a Republican. The large poster shows a
composite of all members of the 1909 legislature.
#2 Educational Moment in Chester’s Room
As a legislator, Chester inuenced change for Minnesota.
Probably one of Chester’s greatest legacies is the spurring the creation of the
North Shore Drive, a vision he set forth in his last years. He envisioned a boulevard
between Duluth’s east end to Stony Point near Two Harbor. At one point publicly
committing to a one million dollar donation towards it. He called it the Lake
Superior International Highway. Met with controversy from a small number of local
property owners for its annexation of property and extension of Duluth’s ‘wealthy
east-end’. After his death the Congdon family moved forward with this vision and
paid for 1/3 of the cost of the boulevard to Lake County in 1922. Chester also tried
to ‘reapportion’ the state in 1911 to strengthen the inuence of the Republican
party and the northern steel trusts.
Female Guests’ (Gold) Room
17
_______________________________________________
Congdon, Clara. Clara Congdon Diary 1853-1907. Diary. University of Minnesota, Glensheen Collection.
The Tour Manual - General Admission | Page 12
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This room typically housed female guest. It was common for guest to stay for
weeks or months at a time.
- The furniture is Circassian walnut, the same wood as the woodwork in the
Reception Room, and are upholstered with silk.
- Originally, a decorative border circled the room below the picture rail.
- A rest couch is found in the alcove. It is also called a chaise lounge, which is
French for long chair.
The adjoining bathroom is shared with Elisabeth’s.
Unless your group in very small, describe Elisabeth’s while you are still in the Guest
Room.
Elisabeth’s Pink Room
Born April 22, 1894, Duluth. Died June 27, 1977. Elisabeth Mannering Congdon
attended Dana Hall and Vassar College, though she never nished a college
degree. Elisabeth was an active volunteer who worked with many charitable and
civic organizations. She also served on the boards at Syracuse University and Dana
Hall. She was the rst president of Duluth’s Junior League, served on the board
of St. Luke’s Hospital Guild, organized Duluth’s American Red Cross Nurse’s Aide
Committee during World War II, and established a woman’s clinic with Dr. Elizabeth
Bagley, a close friend, in 1936. Elisabeth never married, though as a young woman
she was proposed to by Fred Wolvin, son of industrialist Capt. August Wolvin.
She rejected his proposal for unknown reasons but continued to wear the ring he
proposed to her with for the rest of her life.
Elisabeth adopted two girls as a single mother. In 1932 she adopted a three-
month-old from North Carolina and named her Marjorie after her sister. In 1935
Elisabeth adopted another baby and named her Jennifer Susan.
In June of 1977 Elisabeth and Velma Pietila, her nurse, were murdered by Roger
Caldwell, Elisabeth’s son-in-law. Elisabeth had a stroke in 1968 which left her right
side paralyzed, and she required 24-hour nursing care until her death. The motive
was to hasten a multi-million-dollar inheritance that was to be paid to Marjorie
and Roger upon Elisabeth’s death. Roger was prosecuted and sentenced to two
consecutive life sentences for the murder of Velma and Elisabeth. Marjorie was
implicated for conspiracy to commit murder, but was acquitted of the charges.
Because of newer evidence presented in Marjorie’s trial (which happened after
Roger’s conviction), Roger had the option to retry his case. To prevent a mistrial
due to this new evidence, the state allowed Roger to be freed with time served
as long as he signed a confession. Shortly after this, in 1983, he took his own life,
leaving a note that implicated Marjorie in the murders of Elisabeth and Velma.
(The murder is currently not a part of the spoken narrative; this is done out of
The Tour Manual - General Admission | Page 13
respect for guests and colleagues. If people ask nicely, you are allowed to give
these details, but don’t feel pressured to if guests are being rude or you feel
uncomfortable talking about this subject.)
- The furniture is delicately painted satinwood. The enameled birch
woodwork is complemented by pink owered wallpaper, which is
not original. (This wallpaper replaced the former Edwardian striped
and owered paper.)
Helen’s Gray Room
Helen was the fourth child of Chester and Clara Congdon and was 19 when they
moved into Glensheen. She was born on February 16, 1889 in St. Paul. On the table
is photograph of Helen on her wedding day taken in this room. Helen attended
Vassar College. Helen was posthumously inducted into Arizona’s Women’s hall
of fame 1986 (Used by permission from the Arizona Historical Society) Helen
Congdon d’Autremont’s life displayed her commitment to be involved with,
and concerned for her community. She gave generously of her wealth, but she
had such a consuming respect for the basic dignity and rights of those who
were deprived or oppressed that she often chose to remain anonymous in her
giving. She was so unassuming and unpretentious that many examples of her
philanthropic efforts will never be publicly known. Indeed, it has been said that the
extent of Helen d’Autremont’s generosity was one of Tucson’s best-kept secrets.
The d’Autremont family came to Tucson in the late 1920s and both Helen and
her banker husband, State Senator Hubert H. d’Autremont, became active in civic
affairs. During the Depression years, the d’Autrenionts were real benefactors to the
needy, perhaps the largest individual contributors to Tucson charities.
Helen d’Autremont’s friendships were wide-ranging and without concern for social
or cultural status. She quietly gave aid to students at the University of Arizona;
she help found an interracial low-cost housing development, then gave her own
nancial resources to enable families to meet the heavy closing costs for new
homes. She worked in health and childcare efforts with the Pasqua Village, and
helped found the Amerind Foundation, an American Indian social aid society.
Helen also served on many committees and boards, including the Mayor’s
Committee on Human Relations and the boards for the Association for Papago
Affairs, the NAACP, and the YWCA. Before the YWCA facilities were fully equipped,
Helen d’Autremont would often take the young children to her own home and
teach them to swim in her own backyard swimming pool.
Founder and rst president of the Tucson Chapter of League of Women Voters,
Helen d’Autremont also served as an early president of the state organization. She
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was a founding Trustee of Prescott College, the Tucson Medical Center, and the
Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. But she still found time to be active in the First
Congregational Church and gave generously of artifacts to furnish a small chapel.
Later, when a new church building was erected, Mrs. d’Autremont commissioned
the well known artist, Charles Clements, to design and build a mosaic over the
stage in the fellowship hall.
In 1962, Tucsonans honored Helen d’Autremont for her efforts on behalf of
interracial housing by naming her Tucson’s “Woman of the Year.” In 1973, it was
deemed appropriate by the Arizona Historical Society, the Tucson Heritage
Foundation, and the d’Autremont Memorial Association to again honor Helen
and Hubert d’Autremont, for their outstanding civic services. In their honor, a
permanent scholarship for needy students was established at the University of
Arizona and a foundation and plaque at the John C. Fremont House was dedicated
to them.
- The room is in the style of Art Nouveau. which is French for “New Art.” the
style became popular in Europe 1880’s. Characterized by at patterns
of sinuous curves and owing lines, it was strongly inuenced by Japanese
and Gothic art forms.
- Art Nouveau oral designs are in the mosaic tiles of the replace,
woodwork and the light xtures.
- These silver sconces have Quezal shades in a drawn feather design. The
color changes when they are on (replace) and when they are off (far wall).
- The original wall-covering is gray and white hand blocked paper.
- The doll in the rocking chair is named Evangeline, and it came from
Germany in the 1880’s.
Servants’ Quarters
Upon entering the servants’ quarters there is a pronounced change in decor.
Although simpler in style, a great amount of planning continued into this area. In
fact, all the walls in the servants quarters were covered in hand drawn stenciling.
Today that is covered with two layers of paint. The three rooms belonged to the
downstairs maid, the upstairs maid, and the cook. The Carriage House served as
living quarters for male staff, which included the Chauffeur/Coachman, Stableman,
and Houseman. The Head Gardener lived in the Gardener’s Cottage. Other
staff, which would have included the Butler, and part-time staff, all lived off site.
Depending on the time of year, we estimate up to 30 staff may have been working
on the estate many worked 12-16 plus hour days six days a week. Men were
compensated two to three times more than women. Most domestic workers were
rst or second generation immigrants, Swedish was the most common nationality
at Glensheen. The walk-in linen closet has a marking system because each room
had a corresponding linen. The help was given one sheet and one pillowcase
_______________________________________________
https://www.azwhf.org/copy-of-mary-russell-ferrell-colton-1
Soetebier, Virginia O. Footnote to History. N.p.: University of Minnesota, 1995.
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per week and they were exchanged on Friday. The former top sheet was to
become the bottom sheet and the new sheet was to be the top sheet for the next
week. It is said that Mrs. Congdon always kept the key to the linen closet. (Why?
Speculation could lead us to a distrust for the lower class immigrant laborers or
perhaps a power dynamic that allowed Clara to feel as if she had an active role in
managing some aspects of the mansions domestic affairs).
The maids were required to wear a morning uniform that they had to purchase
themselves and in the evening they had another type of uniform furnished by
the employer, typically black with white accents. This “nery” was the typical
outt of most female domestics in the early 20th century. The round xture on the
baseboard is one of many inlets for the central vacuum system, quite common in
large homes for the era. The elevator was originally an electric lift it could be used
to carry the linen and rewood from the basement to each oor, it could also be
used transport passengers between oors.
On the next level down, the Sewing Room, and servants entry way is to the right of
the staircase. The servants dining room and kitchen is to the left.
The railings of the stairs end before the steps, after the newel post there is another
step.
Staff Dining Room
If your group is large this room should be discussed in the Kitchen.
The house staff used the oak furniture and built-in oak china cabinet. The servant
ate the same food as the family, which was common practice. Staff began work
early, so breakfast was served to them before the family. More than likely dinner
was eaten after serving the family.
Kitchen Area
The overhead gas and electric light xtures, wall cabinet, and stove hood provide a
glimpse of the original Kitchen, which has been highly modied over time.
- The cook’s pantry features a marble slab, pull-out bins for our and sugar,
and oak cabinets for utensil storage. A large wooden ice box has
been replaced by a modern refrigerator. Ice blocks were delivered through
a door on the outside wall. This door can be seen from the kitchen porch.
- The area under the hood once housed a large gas and coal range. The
range had two bake ovens, a broiler oven, and three warming ovens. It had
six coal burners and four gas burners.
- The stove on display is from the early 20th century and smaller than the
‘original’ stove.
_______________________________________________
Footnote to History
Citation needed, likely FtH
Soetebier, Virginia O. Footnote to History. N.p.: University of Minnesota, 1995.
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- The cookbooks in the spice cabinet contain some of the family’s favorite
recipes. (This cabinet interior can be seen on the Servants Tour, this can be
mentioned to promote other tour options or ignored completely.)
Some are marked as family favorites Mr. Congdon’s favorite dishes (e.g.,
strawberry shortcake and sh dishes).
- Between the lake-side windows on a glass shelf is a large cookie cutter from
Germany called the 12 days of Christmas. Blueprints label this shelf as the
area for the kitchen clock.
- The original oor was ‘rubber tile’ to soundproof the area.
Near the basement door is an annunciator panel it’s wired to several other rooms
throughout the house and powered by the city electric and allegedly a back-
up wet cell battery. When a button in a room was pressed, the bell rang and the
magnet next to the labeled room attracted the metal arrow to the room from
whence the button was pressed. Under the Annunciator board, the cook also had
her own call button to summon maids to the Kitchen (there is a bell outside the
bathroom in the servants’ quarters).
Butler’s Pantry
If you have a large group, you should tell about this room from the Kitchen.
This room provided well-organized storage for the china and serving pieces used
in the dining room and breakfast room.
- At the kitchen end there is an under-the-counter ice box used for food that
needed to be served cold.
- The sink is composed of German Silver which is an alloy of copper, nickel,
and zinc. The hope was the softer alloy might spare dishware from damage
during washing.
- Within the tile-lined space under the sink are hot water pipes that were
used to warm plates.
- There is a small stained glass window in the door leading to the dining
room. This window allowed the butler to discreetly check on the needs of
the dinner, such as when plates needed to be cleared or glasses relled.
- The area to the right of the sink is labeled ‘desk’ on several blueprints and
has a light installed under the cabinet so the butler may illuminate
any books he was keeping.
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Breakfast Room
The woodwork has the same style of burned wood as in the Den, but this wood
has a dull green layer of stain to complement the green Rookwood tiles used
throughout the room.
- There are oak leaf and acorn motifs in the windows, and on the furniture
and wall fountain.
- The table extends to seat eight, and the chairs were originally covered in
horsehair cloth.
- The ceiling light has a verde antique nish, and was designed by an
instructor of metal work at the Handicraft Guild of Minneapolis.
- The water fountain was installed most likely for ambiance and could have
served as an outlet to obtain water for indoor plants. The fountain was part
of an irrigation system on the estate for non-potable water supplying
the indoor and outdoor fountain and some 30 irrigation spigots. The system
was fed from a 60,000 gallon reservoir on the upper owage of Tischer
Creek.
Dining Room
This was the room where formal dinner was held nightly.
- Originally there were 15 chairs purchased from Wm. A French & Co.
- Georgian design is the dominant theme.
- The furniture was designed by the William A. French Company of St. Paul
and purchased for $4585.00 an equivalent of $114,625 today. The
dark mahogany wood has “specially designed hardware hand
chased and nished Old English Silver”.
- Under each head of the table are built-in buttons which rang a bell in the
kitchen let the staff know that the next course was needed or other needs
had to be attended to. Dining room call buttons were very common
in middle and upper-class homes (usually built into the oor).
- The ceiling is molded plaster, more than likely from the Decorators Supply
Corporation who a majority of the plaster was purchased from.
- The damask wall covering is similar to the original, which was moss green
and gold.
- The replace hearth is Sienna marble from Italy.
- All the xtures in the room (andirons, lights, switch plate, etc.) are plated
silver. The chandelier itself takes about 12 hours to do. The maids would
have polished the silver 3-4 times a year.
- The carpet is a replica of the original Saroul and has been in place since
1986. The original carpet is stored in the attic.
- The sterling silver service on top of the mahogany linen chest was made by
Barbour Silver Company and purchased at Tiffany & Co. of New York.
_______________________________________________
Wm. A French & Co. Summary of Estimate Sept. 16, 1908, sheet 11.
Ibid.
Ibid.
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Hand-beaten hammer marks are visible on the silver pieces.
- The wood on the pocket doors is double-faced, meaning the wood on each
side matches that in the room it faces.
Billiard Room
Billiards was a popular turn-of-the-century leisure activity. It is different from pool
as the table has no pockets and the game only plays with three balls.
- The accessories are housed in the cupboards by the sofa.
- Billiards rules (along with other cue games) can be seen in the corner
window. This likely came with the table.
- The light xtures, which are from the Linden Art Glass Company of Chicago,
harmonize with the upper windows.
- Outside the windows is an area called the Subway or we assume the Winter
Garden. During the summer, the Subway was used as an enclosed porch
and was decorated with wicker furniture and plants. In the winter it
was a heated space to store potted plants.
Amusement Room
It functioned as a multi-purpose entertainment space, where the family could
show vacation slides, play music, or entertain. Christmas parties and other large
gatherings were typically held here.
- Photos of this room are out on stands, as well as photos of the third oor,
taken in 1910.
- Along the west and south walls are four cabinets, these curio-cabinets
contain artifacts and curiosities that the family collected on their travels.
[Note: Walk guests to the servants area of the basement Guests should be
encouraged to tour the remainder of the Basement Level on a self-guided basis.
Public restrooms are near the east end of the hallway, along the south side.]
Boiler Room
The original boilers, each building having its own, could use depending on the
year 65-150 tons of coal (as an industrial comparison the William A. Irvin, ore
carrier, coal bunker would house 266 tons of coal and burned 1.2 tons per hour).
They were hand-stoked with a frequency of up to every two hours in the winter,
likely by the houseman.
- The coal bunker was behind the door on the north wall.
- An automatic coal hopper was installed in 1927. Today,
the system is fueled by natural gas.
- A central vacuum system is behind the door on the east wall.
_______________________________________________
Blake Romenesko February 26, 2018.
See houseman duties document
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Wood Room
The wood room contained the wood supply for the fteen replaces throughout
the house. Wood was transported to different oors on the lift. The Wood Room is
currently used as the security ofce.
The Vegetable Cellar (Cold Room)
The Cold Room was a properly vented cellar used for storing fruits and vegetables
over the winter. The door beside it is the electric lift.
Milk Room
Milk was brought up from the stables in the Carriage House and prepared in
this room. The tile oor is sloped for drainage. In the middle of the room is a
milk separator which separates milk from the cream. There’s a oor drain in the
southeast corner, this room needed to be sanitized after use, there is also a drain
in the laundry.
Laundry Room
This room has both modern and original laundry equipment (mid-century washer
in the corner). A laundress came to Glensheen to do the washing, which was done
on every Monday. Ironing was done on Tuesday.
- The sliding clothes rack and drying chamber are original (it’s like a gas oven
for clothes). Laundry was hung over the drying rack bars and secured by
metal pins, the rack was pushed back into the drying chamber.
- In the alcove to the right of the dryer is a gas hot plate designed to heat
starch, water, irons.
- On the east side of the room there were three large wash basins for
washing.
- When the laundry was dry, at articles were pressed using the gas mangle.
The oak board is a safety feature and was used to position the clothes
before the clothes were fed through the revolving press (Incredible unsafe
for the operator).
- Other linens were ironed on the padded table under the side windows.
East/Servants Courtyard
- This area had a clothes line.
- There was also a dog house.
_______________________________________________
Footnote to History
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“The Full Mansion Tour”
Full Mansion Tour
3rd oor & Attic
Tour Walk-Up Commentary
The time limit is crucial, any extra time that you use will affect the timing of the
tours that follow Full Mansion Tours run every half hour - in other words, you would
cause trafc jams and embarrassing moments for your co-workers who are behind
or in front of you. Also, keep in mind that the larger the group, the longer it takes.
Practice, improvisation, and timing are the keys to success here.
Introduce yourself: Hello, and welcome to Glensheen! My name is _____ and I will
be taking you to the Mansion where we will begin our tour and remember after the
tour the grounds are open for viewing.
Start by collecting the groups ticket stubs (side with the bar code) and give back
the rest of the ticket; check that all visitors are on the right tour! Guests who buy
tickets ahead of time may have digital tickets on their phones.
[Note: If there is inclimate weather; rain, sleet, snow or cold... you may walk the
group into the mansion and then begin commentary or ,space permitting, engage
commentary while in the gift/ stable.]
Go over the House Museum etiquette: Food, non-water drinks, and chewing gum
are prohibited inside the museum. There is a garbage can in the Carriage House
and at the front door if your guests need to disposes of any of these items (One,
can inform guests of the etiquette before or after the walk to the front door). Most
importantly, please refrain from touching anything except for the handrails going
up and down the stairs and the chairs provided for sitting.
Photography is encouraged, please refrain from using ash. Tell your guests that if
they are active on social media, so are we. We give out weekly awards for unique
photos of Glensheen on Instagram. * Make sure you use the ‘#glensheen’ that way
we can see it. Good luck! Encourage guests to ask questions or ask you to speak
louder!
_______________________________________________
* This is usually seasonal promotion on Instagram. Guests may also be encouraged use #glensheen on social media as well as follow the museum on
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat or sign up for the email list.
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Introduction
For the third oor rooms, instruct your guests not to walk on original carpeting (it
shifts it slips and could be a hazard).
The third oor includes the bedrooms for the Congdon sons and Alfred Bannister,
the Inrmary, the West Guest Room, and the third oor Lounge.
The design of the hall, Edwards room, Walters room, and the lounge is a late 19th
and early 20th century-style called Arts and Crafts. The style was an international
movement that began in England, and is based on a philosophy by John Ruskin
and his student, William Morris. The design philosophy counters the formal and
lavish designs of the Victorian Era, which coincided not only with the rise of the
industrial revolution, but also with the revolution’s labor exploitation and inequality.
As a reection of social and economic ideals, Arts and Crafts quickly caught on
in the industrializing America of the early 20th Century. A major proponent of
Arts and Crafts in America is Gustav Stickley. The American movement is often
referred to the American Craftsman movement or American Arts and Crafts, it was
basically an extension of the English Arts and Crafts, but with less gothic inuence.
Arts and Crafts ideals would shape the western ‘Mission’ style and Midwestern
avante-garde ‘Prairie’ school of design.
Basically, Arts and Crafts designs are simple, and interior dwelling space appears
less cluttered. For example the use of built-in bookcases, hutches, and cabinets
inset into the walls. Specic features were well-built and easy to maintain. For
example, an Arts and Crafts chair is more geometric, plain, and sturdy-looking than
a Victorian Era chair with its upholstery fringes or intricate carvings.
Area at Top of Stairs
- The large glass-enclosed storage room and the cedar lined walk-in closet
are still used for storage today. Clothing and other collection pieces
are stored in the cedar closet.
- The small door on the hallways south wall, near the inrmary door, is a
laundry chute. The door to the right of the laundry chute is a fuse box.
(Each oor has its own.)
- On the oor, the metal xture below the laundry chute door is a central
vacuum connection.
- The oor snaps are to keep hallway carpets in place.
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Inrmary/ East Room
Originally designed to be a guest room, the Inrmary isolated sick individuals who
could be treated by a doctor or nurse making a house call, possibly avoiding a trip
to the hospital. (The doctor would not spend the night in the home.)
The bookshelf on the south wall is mounted on wheels. Therefore, it can be
positioned between the beds, not only providing easy access to books but also
serving as a privacy screen.
The replace is boasting priceless Grueby Faience tilework. “The Pines” was a
designed in 1906 by Addison B. LeBoutillier, Grueby’s chief designer.
East Bathroom & Darkroom
The shower stall in the bathroom has 13 heads with the potential for 18. The valve
marked ‘needle’ controls the heads on the walls. The valve labeled ‘shower’ is
the large shower head above. In addition to wash hair, a rubber hose with a head
attachment would be connected beneath the ‘shampoo’ valve.
Since domestic water in the mansion was heated by the boiler and stored in a
large tank behind the boiler, the shower hot water supply was plumbed through
an anti-scalding mechanism that regulated temperature. The thermometer at the
top of valve apparatus indicated the temperature of the water, hypothetically you
could ‘set’ the water temperature with mixtures of hot and cold water.
The call button just above tub connects to the annunciator panel in kitchen. Towels
could be delivered from the one linen closet to the bathroom where they were
needed.
On the west side of the bathroom there is a short passageway that leads to
Edward’s bedroom. Edward did photography as a hobby, so there is a dark room
where he could develop his photos. The dark room has a lead sink and a vented
hood to exhaust fumes.
Edward’s Room
Edward Congdon, also known as Ned, was the second oldest child of Chester and
Clara. He was born on March 1, 1885 in St. Paul, Minnesota. He went to prep school
at the Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, and graduated with a B.A. from Yale
University in 1908, the same year the Congdons moved into Glensheen.
In 1909, Edward joined the Weed Iron Company, which was operated by Congdon
Ofce Corporation. He was considered one of Duluth’s most eligible bachelors.
In 1916, the year of his father’s death, Ned was commissioned as a Second
_______________________________________________
Museum of Fine Arts Boston. http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/tile-39927.
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Lieutenant in the Ofcers Reserve Corps. In 1917 he enlisted in the army where he
received a commission as Captain (never served in battle). Upon returning from
the army he assumed his father’s interests in mining exploration and development
with the Congdon Ofce Corporation.
In 1920, Edward married Dorothy House, who was the daughter of railway
executive. In 1929, he became the director of First American National Bank,
a position which he held until 1940. He was active in the Kitchi Gammi Club,
Northland Country Club, University Club of Chicago, Yale Club of New York,
Pilgrim Congregational Club, American Iron and Steel Institute and American
Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers. He died on November 27, 1940 in
Duluth at the age of 55.
- The room’s woodwork and furniture are oak.
- The mantel facing and hearth has Grueby tile and is accented with an
antiqued copper hood and corner trim.
- The cove to the left of the replace is for gun storage.
- The balconies on this oor are just for the architectural appeal of the
exterior.
Lounge
The walls are covered with painted burlap. The pattern of the upper stenciling is
similar to that in the hallway. (This was redone in the 2000’s.) The furniture, which
is oak with ebony inlay, is attributed to the interior designer John Bradstreet
(though his involvement in design is still disputed) of St. Paul, Minnesota.
- The “Y” on the leather pillow is a reference to Yale, where Walter, Edward,
and Robert Congdon went to college. Yale references include the other sofa
pillow and the two pictures in the hallway that are visible from the lounge.
- The privacy screen facing the hallway served as an unobtrusive partition
and beautiful piece of decorative art. Although the screen’s hand-painted
forest scene is faded, the original image can be made out in the 1910
photograph of the room. The ledge around the room is a trophy shelf.
- The goat heads are original, from unknown origin (who, shot what, where,
and when, is not know).
- On the oor is an original Tabriz rug. (Tabriz is the name of a city in
northwestern Iran.)
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Walter’s Room
The eldest son of Chester and Clara Congdon, Walter Bannister Congdon was
born on November 5, 1882 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He attended grammar
school in Duluth, prep school at the Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, and
graduated with a B.A. from Yale University in 1905. After graduating from Yale, he
attended the Minnesota School of Mines.
Walter was employed by the Oliver Mining Company from 1906-1911. In 1906
Walter was working as a surveyor on the Iron Range when he lost his foot in a
work accident. He also served as an ofcial with the Calumet and Arizona Mining
Company in Bisbee, Arizona. In 1908, when the Congdons moved into Glensheen,
Walter was 26 years old and spent most of his time on the Iron Range. He married
Jessie Hartley on November 4, 1914. Jessie was the daughter Guilford Hartley, a
local industrialist and business partner of Chesters. Walter and Jessie Congdon
made numerous trips to Glensheen and were often visited by Marjorie and other
family members. Trips were even more frequent during the summer of 1915, when
Jessie Hartley Congdon was expecting Mr. and Mrs. Congdon’s rst grandchild.
Chester Adgate Congdon II was born December 13, 1915. After Mr. Congdon died
in 1916, Walter then began working for the Congdon Ofce Corporation where
he served as president from 1916-1949. He also served as president of Congdon
Orchards, Inc. in Yakima Washington. Walter Bannister Congdon died October 20,
1949 at the age of 66.
Above Door Case leading to bathroom.
The Widower - C.F. Goldie (English), oil on board over the replace pictures a
Maori women. Mr. Congdon purchased this in 1914 on a trip to New Zealand.
West Guest Room (Couples Guest Room)
Married couples would most often stay in this room, which even has “his and hers”
closets and a large bed. The furniture is an Edwardian style mix of both mahogany
and natural willow. The bedspread and much of the upholstery features anemone
owers and would have matched some painting done around the room above the
picture rail. This pattern was eventually covered by paint. On the south-side soft
of the southerly ceiling beam, a paint analyst was able to remove a small patch
of paint covering the original stencil design. Because it was an oil-based paint, it
required the use of a scalpel and took hours just for the tiny area. As a historic site
we continuously work on the preservation of original spaces and the restoration of
areas to originality.
Robert’s Room
Robert Congdon was born September 4, 1898 in Duluth, Minnesota, making
him 10 years old by the time the family moved into Glensheen in 1908. Like his
31
_______________________________________________
Boese, Donald L. John C. Greenway and the Opening of the Western Mesabi. Grand Rapids, MN: Itasca Community College Foundation, 1975.
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brothers, Robert attended Hill School for Boys, but he also attended the Taft
School in Watertown Connecticut. He went to college at Yale, where he was
elected to a senior society called the Elihu Club, and graduated in 1921. He
married Dorothy Moore in 1923.
He received a law degree from Yale in 1925 and returned to Duluth, where he
and Dorothy made their home. Robert Congdon was admitted to the Minnesota
Bar and worked with the Congdon Ofce Corporation, Inc. serving rst as
Vice President and later as President. He served as a Director of the Executive
Committee of the American Exchange National Bank of Duluth. In 1960, he was
named “Banco Man of the Year.” He served on various corporate and community
boards. At age 68, Robert died June 12, 1967, in Duluth.
Robert’s bedroom was irrevocably altered when Elisabeth converted it to a
painting studio. Originally, the walls had hand-blocked, bird and leaf-patterned
paper. Along the upper wall, birds were painted as if in ight. The birds had been
painted over with white latex paint, but it was removed in 2014 by professional
conservators from the Midwestern Art Conservation Center. This room, which is an
example of how ticket sales support to restoration, was opened to visitors in 2015.
The original furniture was a combination of both American walnut and Willow.
Storage/Trunk Room
This room contains many of the family’s trunks and suitcases. Many of the steamer
trunks were used by the Congdons on their voyages, and have stickers from the
Cunard and White Star ocean lines. The family had the means to travel and could
take leisure time much more than the average american at that time. They travelled
the U.S. extensively as well as several other countries.
Alfred’s Room
Alfred Bannister was born in California to Clara’s brother and sister-in-law. Alfred’s
mother died in childbirth, and his father died a few years after that. Orphaned at
age six, Alfred came to live with Clara and Chester in 1898. Like the Congdon sons,
he attended the Hill School, but for college he went on to Cornell instead of Yale.
After graduating from Cornell, Alfred went to MIT and graduated as a mechanical
engineer. In fact, the miniature steam engine that sits on a table is rumored to have
been built by Alfred.
Alfred worked in Duluth and lived in this room until 1929, when he moved to
Michigan. A couple years later he married and had two sons. A photo of Alfred is
on the dresser.
Also on the dresser is a photo of the 53-foot yacht, Hesperia, which is Clara’s
The Tour Manual - Full Mansion | Page 26
middle name. It was built in Bath, Maine, and launched in 1911. After taking
delivery of the yacht in New York City, Alfred and two friends sailed up the Hudson
River, entered Lake Ontario via the Erie and Oswego canals, and then up the other
Great Lakes to Duluth. The total distance was about 1,500 miles. A newspaper
account of the voyage stated that it was the longest cruise ever made by a yacht of
her size, “without a hired crew or pilot.”
Perched on a stand is the 1911 edition of Lloyd’s Register of American Yachts,
which shows a listing for the Hesperia. Lloyd’s Register is a non-governmental
organization that establishes and maintains standards for maritime construction
and operation.
The room’s woodwork and furniture are American walnut. The grass-cloth on the
wall was redone. The stand-alone sink that is on the east wall does appear in the
architectural oor plan. But a specic reason behind the decision to install a sink
is not known, more than likely installed for Alfred’s practical use since his room
doesn’t have a bathroom.
As with Robert’s room, the upper walls in this room were also covered with latex
paint. But the paint was removed in May, 2017, (by Midwestern art conservation
center) revealing the original stencil design.
Attic
The attic runs the length of the mansion. The Congdons used it as storage which
we still do to this day to store Glensheen’s collection items, such as original carpets
and rugs, furniture, canvas camping supplies, magazines, books, and newspapers
from the turn of the century. Overhead are extra pieces of wood molding and trim.
Other heavy-duty construction features in the mansion include concrete oors
that are a foot or more thick, structural terracotta in the walls and between steel
oor beams, and load-bearing brick and terracotta walls that are approximately 12
inches thick and nished with plaster.
The visible, bottom layer of the roong material is made of book tiles (18” x 12”
x 3”), which are positioned between horizontal supports called purlins. Every
second tile is separated by a strip of wood that extends up from the eave to the
roof peak. Its purpose was so boards could be nailed on the exterior side. The
boards were covered with either tar paper or canvas, over which terracotta roof
tiles were applied. With all these components, the original roof weighed about 43
pounds per square foot [Citation Needed]. These are conventional building materials for
the time.
‘Show and tell’ in the attic (if you want/ have time)
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- Structural terracotta
- Tiffany Enameled Brick Co. (no relation to Tiffany studios or store)
- Rookwood tile
- Asphalt and cork brick: Armstrong Circle “A” cork and asphalt brick
- Star/stomp tile
- Cast plaster
- Small piece of terracotta roong
- Chapman Plug
The Tour Manual - Full Mansion | Page 28
“Nooks & Crannies Tour”
Edited November 2018 & April 2019
Tour Starts at Carriage House in 1st oor Carriage Room, near carriage on display.
Welcome Statements
Opening remarks should be something like follows:
“Welcome to the Nooks and Crannies tour. This is an exclusive tour that takes you
behind the scenes. You will see spaces that most visitors and even some staff have
never seen.”
Go over the rules.
Carriage Room
(If it is a busy day you may skip this part and go straight upstairs)
The Rockaway Depot Wagon
The Rockaway is a 19th-century passenger carriage made by Brewster & Co. Of
the seven carriages owned by Glensheen, only the Studebaker Mountain Wagon
was not made by Brewster.
This was the carriage that was used to pick up guests at the Depot. It could carry
four passenger and was pulled by one or two horses. Its style was an American
innovation that was duplicated throughout the world.
A unique feature is a roof extension that helped protect the driver from rain and
snow. For additional protection, a folded weatherproof cover secured to the oor
could be pulled up over the knees.
The interior has beveled glass windows and a dark green wool broadcloth interior.
A speaking tube allowed passengers to communicate with the driver.
Some details and highlights of the wagon include:
- The lanterns were not used for illumination, but for indicating presence.
- There’s a wheel changing kit (a large wrench is inside the cab).
The Tour Manual - Nooks & Crannies | Page 29
History of Brewster & Co.
The Brewster Carriage Company was started in 1810 by James Brewster. It quickly
gained a reputation for ne carriages. The rm won international acclaim at the
Paris carriage exhibition in 1878. By the time Brewster retired, his son Henry was
running the New York branch, which became Brewster & Co.
By 1905, Brewster & Co. had franchises in Europe, including Delaunay Belleville in
France and the Lanchester Motor Company in England. It was around this time that
the company started making bodies for automobiles. By 1911, they abandoned
carriages entirely.
In 1914, the company became the sales agents for Rolls-Royce, Ltd., and would be
their main supplier of bodies in the United States. Brewster also supplied bodies
to Renault, Panhard et Levassor, and Mercedes. From 1915 to 1925, Brewster was
making an automobile in its entirety.
By 1925, Brewster’s car sales dropped and their car division was eventually bought
out by Rolls Royce. However, Rolls Royce continued to use car bodies made at the
Brewster plant.
After Rolls-Royce of America stopped production, Rolls Royce of Britain began
shipping their Phantom II chassis to the Brewster plant in Long Island City. But
this lasted only from 1931 to 1934. Being the early years of the Great Depression,
wealthy people became sensitive about aunting their status. Therefore, sales of
the Brewster-bodied Rolls Royce cars dropped.
In 1934, a Brewster employee named J.S. Inskip took control of the company
and attempted to save it. He designed a new body for the Ford V8 Roadster, and
purchased 135 chassis. The new look was a hit at the 1934 New York Auto Show.
In fact, the car’s body was worth more its chassis. The car was registered as a
Brewster (not as a Ford), and it was sold at Rolls-Royce showrooms. Edsel Ford
acquired the rst shipped example, which was the third Ford Brewster ever built.
Inskip marketed the car to New York celebrities, with whom it became popular. The
Ford Brewster project was initially protable. But soon Brewster was taking losses,
bondholders and directors demanded that something be done. On August 18,
1937, the company was sold at public auction.
2nd Floor of Carriage House
Bring guests outside to awkward tall door or inside by clothes racks. Ask the last
guest to shut the door carefully behind them. Turn on the light at the top of the
stairs.
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The majority of the Congdons’ carriages were purchased in 1907. In fact, an entry
in Clara’s journal states, “December 27, 1907. Went to inspect new carriages.”
Most of these carriages, excluding the Hartley Canadian Sleigh and the Studebaker
Mountain Wagon, were made by the J.B. Brewster Company of New Haven, New
York. A Brewster carriage was of the highest quality. It was made of a lighter, more
durable wood than its European counterparts. All of the Brewster carriages have
Chester’s initials on them.
The axle length between the carriage wheels was determined by a law. Therefore,
with so many carriages with the same axle length running on the same road, deep
ruts inevitable. The lamps on some of the carriages were lit with candles. Their
purpose was not for illuminating the road ahead but to provide visibility to others
so they became aware of the carriage’s presence.
Show carriages left to right along the west wall.
Phaeton
This carriage model is a drop front, cut-under phaeton, which is the general name
for an open four-wheeled carriage for two passengers. Phaeton is the name of
the son of the Greek god Helios. He drove his father’s chariot of the sun with such
recklessness that Zeus had to strike him out of the sky with a lightning bolt for fear
that he might scorch the earth.
One horse pulled it. It was light and elegant, and designed to be driven by the
owner, not a coachman. It was the perfect vehicle for an outing on a nice day.
The Congdons’ phaeton has dark green broadcloth upholstery and a built-in lap
robe that could be pulled up over the knees of the driver and passenger. The
fenders and the dash have been restored to their original appearance. Chester’s
initials, CAC, are on each side.
Brewster Panel Boot Victoria
These open, four wheel carriages with a folding top were of English origin. It is
the most formal carriage in the collection, and is said to have been the preference
of women. Its low slung, graceful lines not only provided easy access, but also
afforded a view of the passengers wearing their elegant fashions.
The Victoria is tted with beautifully bent gig shafts, which were designed to
complement the family’s nest carriage horses. A small fold-down child’s seat is
behind the coachman’s seat.
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The Victoria is a full-turn fth wheel, which means that the front wheels can turn in
a tight radius, allowing for easy maneuvering in constricted spaces.
Brewster Brougham
This carriage was named for Lord Brougham of England, who designed this
vehicle for easy and elegant travel for businessmen. Chester used his Brougham
carriage regularly. The Brougham carried two passengers, which is why it was also
referred to as a bachelor Brougham. It was pulled by either one or two horses. The
exterior color is dark green with black accents. In the passenger compartment, the
upholstery is green wool broadcloth. The entire interior is padded, including the
side straps that passengers could grab if traveling over a rough road. For privacy,
shades could be drawn over the side windows and the back window could also be
covered. In order to get the coachman’s attention, passengers could use a leather
pull to ring a bell under the his seat. Or, the front window could be slid open to
communicate verbally.
(center of room)
Studebaker Mountain Wagon
The mountain wagon was purchased in 1907. It has three seats and a canvas top
and was used for large family outings or for meeting guests with luggage at the
train station. In the summer of 1921, coachman John McKay took this wagon to the
Union Depot to meet the new gardener George Wyness and his family, including
his six-year-old son Robert. Robert ‘Bob’ Wyness later succeeded his father as
head gardener for the estate until he retired in 1985 and proceeded to occupy the
gardeners cottage until 2004.
The Studebaker Company made this type of heavy-duty wagon before it started
making cars. The wagon was pulled by two draft horses and is the only one that
had brakes. The Studebaker mountain wagon’s original bright red and green
colors have faded. This is the only carriage in the collection that was not made by
the Brewster Company of New York. Studebaker would manufacture automobiles
until 1967.
(North-east wall)
Concord Side Spring Buggy
This Concord side spring buggy was built for one passenger and was drawn by
two horses. The side spring allowed the buggy to ride lower to the ground making
it easier to board. This carriage was most likely used exclusively by the servants for
running errands. The buggy was the plainest looking of all the carriages, but like
the others, was also well built by the Brewster Carriage factory.
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The weight (large weight on oor) was attached to the horse’s bit to keep the
animal from straying while ‘parked’. The detailing on the buggy used to be bright
red in color, which made for a sporty looking vehicle.
- Notice the 1916 Duluth license plate is attached to the oor mat. It was
registered for two horses.
Carriage Lift
We assume… A Kieckhefer Elevator Company
Milwaukee, Wis. 3987
Inspected by Fidelity and Deposit Company of Maryland, Baltimore
(Taken from engravings on the lift)
The company was organized by August Kieckhefer in 1889. The company built
both passenger and freight elevators in Milwaukee and shipped to all parts of the
world.
It is said to have employed about 150 people and was an important productive
industry in Milwaukee. In 1892, August Kieckhefer also organized and incorporated
the Milwaukee Brewing Company he also worked in the Iron Industry at Wisconsin
Foundrymen’s Association. When August retired in 1919, his son Edwin K.
Kieckhefer took over as President.
The carriage lift is manually operated and is used today to move cargo that is too
large for the stairs between the oors. When the lift is fully raised, it becomes part
of the ceiling. The lift is operated by two people. The work is eased by the use of
a counterweight that moves up and down inside the wood panel on the wall at
the rear of the lift. The thinner piece of metal surrounding the inner-circle of the
big pulley is the band brake. Pulling the rope clamps the band onto the circle and
stops the lift, to lock the lift in the raised position or in the event of an emergency
stopping it from falling.
(South East Corner)
Spare parts
- Show spare Armstrong Circle A cork bricks for horse and cow stalls.
- Show spare globe lights and the barrel the lights were shipped in.
- Show glass prisms - unknown - maybe part of the greenhouse.
Glensheen owns three sleighs. They were made for either shallow or deep snow.
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Canadian Bobsleigh
This Canadian sleigh, with its ornamental metal, was popular for winter
transportation. This and another sleigh were often used as decorations near
the main doors of the house at Christmas. The term bobsleigh refers to the four
runners called bobs: short sleds that are used together, but are actually separated.
The body of this particular sleigh was made to be on runners. Of the four ornate
runners only the front two would turn.
The beautiful rein rail in front has knobs that can come off in order to hold fancy
plumes if occasion dictates. The shiny black body had festive red detailing along
its surface and beautiful burgundy seats. Unlike many sleighs, this one has springs
that allow for a more comfortable ride. This shiny black sleigh is also unique
among bobsleighs for the gorgeous red upholstery.
Red Russian/Hartley Sleigh
Despite its name, this sleigh is Canadian. By the 1880’s sleigh makers in Canada
heavily developed the Russian style sleighs. Typical of the style, the runners of the
sleigh are wood rather than metal, and they are completely enclosed.
The Congdons and the Hartleys often went on winter outings together and the
Congdons liked the sleigh so much that Clara noted in her diary, “December 9th
1919, bought Mr. Hartley’s Canadian Sleigh.” The vehicle was strictly coachman
driven. The sleigh is so heavy that two big draft horses were needed to pull it. The
toboggan style of the body on this sleigh was meant to glide over snow, but the
extreme weight of the sleigh caused it to sink. A unique feature of this sleigh is
the high seat backs that protected the passengers against the cold winter wind.
The large side doors were also unusual. The leather clips on the sides of the sleigh
were used for clipping large buffalo robes into place to keep the passengers
warm.
Portland Cutter Sleigh
Designed for speed, the Portland Cutter became the standard two-passenger
sleigh throughout the United States and Canada. These lightweight vehicles,
painted in harmonizing colors, have curved dashers, thinly curved one-piece
runners and delicate spreaders.
Hay Loft 1
Currently storage for storm windows and screens. Large arched screens from the
mansions west porch are stored here, these are not original and put in later by the
family. In 2005, they were removed to restore the porch to its original condition.
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Green, Susan, ed. Horse Drawn Sleighs. 2nd ed. Mendham, NJ: The Astragal Press, 2003.
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There is another room that could have been used for domestic servant living
quarters.
Hay Loft 2
Turn on photography lights.
- Red Cushions likely came from the Hesperia. The bottoms are marked with
their positions.
- Wicker furniture from outside spaces and West Porch.
- Canvas tent by Poirer Tent and Awning which is now known as Duluth Pack.
- Under the plastic are law books from the Billson Congdon & Dickinson law
ofce.
- The long, curved green ladders would have been for the exterior of the
greenhouses.
- The large grain hopper in back is where feed, hay, and straw would be
dumped to the animal spaces below.
On shelves
- Barrel from the Fitger’s Brewing Co.
- Shelf of nicknacks belonged to Bob Wyness and were removed from the
Gardener’s Cottage after his death.
- More embossers from the Congdon Ofce Corp. Most date after Chester’s
death.
Bring your tour back through to carriage area
In carriage area show off the central vacuuming systems ‘vacuum producer’ this
part would create suction for the system. (behind rockway wagon)
By the spring buggy are parts to another carriage. These are all the parts we have,
but clearly show it belonged to the Marshall-Wells Hardware Co. Chester was a
director of the company.
Before heading down stairs there is a green metal trunk by the sleigh. This trunk
likely came from a 1930’s Cadillac. It would have been on the exterior of the car in
the back.
Boathouse
- Show historic photos of Hesperia and Boathouse
- Show original size of pier. It went further out then 65ft to the right.
- Turn on the light to show the space (turn off when not in use).
- The large lift could hoist the yacht out of, the water so it wouldn’t freeze in.
- The tiled room would have been used to house the pump.
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- We are in early planning stages to restore the Boathouse and pier.
Hesperia the Love Boat
Alfred was friends with Porter Alexander whose father owned a cottage on Clough
Island in the St. Louis Bay. Porter’s sister recounts this story:
“My brother entertained an older group of friends at his parties. They played
baseball and had target practice and swam from the Chester Congdon’s yacht
which Mrs. Clara’s nephew, Alfred Bannister, would navigate up the river. Well
in the summer of 1916 or 17* my mother decided Agnes (sister) should join
my brother’s crowd. She had just returned from nishing school. Agnes was
an excellent swimmer and made beautiful dives from the deck of the yacht. I
remember Roger Spencer’s eyes were on her. He began inviting her to some of
their parties… a courtship that eventually ended in marriage.”
*Hesperia burned in 1916, so it wasn’t in 1917.
Fountain
This is the third fountain installed in this garden. Show historic photos.
- The rst one had four jets coming from the sides.
- The second was a fountain of water in the center.
- The third and current is this marble fountain installed in 1913. It was carved
by George Thrana, Duluth’s master stone carver. Thrana learned the trade
in his home country of Norway and made that his career after coming
to America. He did most architectural carvings in Duluth including
Redstone, the Congdon’s previous home. This fountain features a Medieval
depiction of dolphins.
Laundry Room
Dryer
Chicago- Francis Dryer
Manufactured by Chicago Dryer Company
Patented June 12, 1906 and October 16, 1906
Other pats pending, machine no. 9334
Chicago Dryer Company is still around today producing industrial laundry
machines.
- In the alcove, you can see the gas stove that was designed to warm irons
and boil water, the water was placed in porcelain wash sinks bolted to the
oor along the east wall (see blueprint).
- Damp laundry was hung over these bars, held in place by a metal
clothespin and pushed back into the drier. There is a metal door in
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Schumacher, Claire W. The Whiteside Story. 4th ed. Duluth, MN: Zenith City Publishing Co., 2007.
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the alcove that the servants could use to check the laundry for dryness.
- When dry, at articles were pressed using the gas mangle. The oak board
is a safety feature and was used to position the clothes that were fed
through the revolving press.
- Detailed table linens and additional articles were ironed on the padded
table. (Taken from the Utilities Tour narrative).
Boiler Room
Show off all individual hot water valves.
Central Vacuum System
Vacuum Cleaner Company
427 Fifth Ave.
New York, NY
Patented Feb 26, 1907
Inside the closet is the main collection unit for the central vacuuming system. This
system was installed in 1908. The earliest patent dates back to September 1903.
The vacuum is the Kenney System from the Vacuum Cleaner Company in New
York. There are two hose adapters on every oor. A 40’ hose was connected to
these adapters and the big switch next to the outlet would turn the unit on. Since
this vacuum hose was cumbersome and the mechanical nature of the job, the
houseman would likely handle all vacuuming duties. (Taken from the Utilities Tour
narrative)
The inventor, David Kenney, dominated the vacuum cleaner industry in the United
States until the 1920s. Kenney’s rst vacuum cleaner installation was in the building
of industrialist Henry Clay Frick in Pittsburgh in 1902. Its stationary 4,000 lb. steam
engine powered pipes and hoses reaching into all parts of the building. In 1906
his company claimed to have installed electric vacuum cleaning systems in the
White House and the Times building.
Kenney’s most signicant patent was granted in March 1907. He had led the
application in 1901, when the notion of an electrically powered cleaner was
only beginning to be seen as a possibility. Kenney purchased one of the English
inventor H. Cecil Booth’s vacuum cleaners, and after the 1907 patent was granted,
Booth withdrew his own application for a US patent.
The rst introduction of a system similar to a central vacuum cleaner was in the
late 19th century. A ducted machine that featured copper tubes connected from
a bellows chamber, typically located in the basement, and extended to several
locations throughout a building, was used in a select few homes in the 19th
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Taken from Footnote to History by Virginia Soetbeir, Elsie Wilke recalled Mark Roper doing this job in the 1920s.
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century. Because of the machine’s cost and weak dust-removal capabilities, only a
few of these units were ever sold in the U.S.
Central vacuum systems made economic sense to owners. In a time when domestic
help was nding better workplace opportunities, a vacuum on every oor would
help close the “servant gap.” The central vacuum cleaner was in the basement.
Pipes from throughout the house terminated at a pump, fan, or turbine that pulled
air through a crude lter system and exhausted it outdoors. The power was often
supplied by early electric motors but not always. Gasoline engines sometimes
provided the mode of power. Whatever the design, in two or three locations on
upper oors pipes ended in spring loaded valves or caps that opened to accept
cleaning hoses and wands, then snapped shut to seal the tube (wall connector
located in basement hall).
Architects and domestic science critics applauded the systems as being both
practical and hygienic. The thoroughness of the central system in day-to-day
cleaning has completely vanquished spring cleaning. In an era when eliminating
dust and dirt was hailed as a primary offensive against disease spreading
microbes, vacuum cleaners of all sorts were quickly crowned as hygienic marvels
and the most popular electric household machine.
Coal room
On an average year the main house would go through 65-110 tons of coal a
year. Part of the reason the Greenhouses were taken down was that they took 60
tons of coal a year to heat. In 2013, we at Glensheen spent $17,000 [citation] on
our heating expenses. Coal would be dropped into this room from the driveway
above (opening covered by sod). There are two separate compartments of the
coal room. The closest compartment to the boiler is for boiler coal and the other
compartment can be accessed through the wood room and would contain coal for
the cooking range. The wood room held wood for replaces, today it is the tour
ofce.
Dual Boilers
Two Crane No. 4 Sectional boilers would function as one whole system to
supply all buildings with steam for radiators and hot water. These boilers would
be constantly running in order to supply a heating source to each room which
contained their own thermostats. The system would have to be periodically stoked
and the ash would be cleaned daily (this was the job of the houseman). By the
1920’s there was an auger feed installed to supply coal the the north side boiler.
We still use the south side boiler to heat the home and it has been converted to
use natural gas for sometime.
- Turn on light and bring guests two at a time to the back of the boilers.
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Watch your head and use caution around the boiler it may be hot.
- The white plaster covered tank on the west wall would store hot water.
Exhaust from would leave the system by the large plaster covered ducting
to a chimney. Behind the west wall there is another room, this room
would contain the mass coil system.
Below is a drainage room that collects water when the boilers are ushed (show
photos of tunnels.) There would be a manhole to access this area for utilities
purposes in front of the house (it has now been covered with asphalt). The area
under the boiler lls with groundwater and currently has a sump pump to drain the
space regularly.
Bottom of basement stairs
Show the changes made to make it ADA compliant.
- Show the lack of decoration on the banister versus the rest of the staircase.
- Show where the staircase landing used to be (basement blueprints
help).
- Show burlap above door which was taken from the UMD Kirby Student
Center and painted to match.
Basement Bathroom and Humidier
Family and guests would use this bathroom during gatherings in the basement.
Notice the break in the marble where a stall door would have been separating the
toilet to the sink. Today we use this space for events storage.
A forerunner in home humidication this room contains many radiator like
structures called coils which are supplied hot water from the boiler. A fan would
force this moist air through ductwork in the home. When the system wasn’t
being used for humidication the fan could generate additional airow through
the home. It is also speculated this may have been used a cooling system/ air
conditioner, if the pipes had cool water running through them the forced air would
pass this cool air through the mansion.
Show small secret cabinets on landing.
We do not know what would have been stored in these originally if there was
anything specically meant to be stored here. The cabinets could have many uses
and are common in many homes.
It is helpful to talk about Wm. A. French & Co. They executed interior design and
the next few areas will feature hidden compartments in furniture manufactured by
this company.
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Secret Desk Compartments
- Hidden Cabinets on the main staircase.
- Marjorie- Pull out drawer, and push secret button.
- Master- This one doesn’t work well. Leave them open. When closed you
would press on the lower trim causing side doors to open.
- Helen- Door in the back of desk.
Clara’s Balcony
This would be a private area for Chester and Clara to enjoy beautiful vistas.
- Show off the West Gate
- Show off Tischer Creek, west hiking trail system & Chesters gift of Congdon
Park.
- Show off the little window in Attic
- Show off the Formal Garden, Lake, & Boathouse
Servants’ Quarters
Show skeleton key for closet door.
Open up the closet door with key.
Show the nancial records to exhibit the level of detail that exists in the meticulous
record keeping. Most of these in this closet are ledgers keeping track of
construction expenses. Additional historic nancial records are kept in the UMD
Special Collections Library.
On the wooden ledge there are several corporate seal embossers from many
different companies Chester had nancial interest in. It is more likely that these
records would have originally been kept in a different area such as the Congdon
Ofce Corporation headquarters in the Lonsdale Building. Some of these
embossers date after Chester’s death. As the last part of the Nooks and Crannies
tour, we will take your ticket or pass book and stamp it with a Glensheen seal this
works just like the embossers in our collection. (Now that your guests have a seal
of approval...)
Breakfast Room– Talk about the Fountain
Water came to the fountain from Tischer Creek for ambiance and plant water.
About 1,500 feet up the mouth of Tischer Creek a dam and 60,000 gallon reservoir
system was built. One 10 inch diameter pipe carried creek water to a grounds
irrigation system (around 30 heads), the formal garden fountain, and toilets in the
mansion which may have been piped to ush creek water (it is not known if the
toilets used creek water for ushing or city water, the creek system was added
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to have the option, and is addressed in several letters between J.C. Bush the
construction superintendent and various individuals).
The End: Allow guests to do start General Admission Tour
Announce that this is the end of the Nooks and Crannies Tour and walk the group
to the main hall. Say goodbye (optional) and orientate them on how to take the
General Admission Tour. If there are any, address guests questions and inform
them of restrooms and exit in the basement.
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“Flashlight Tour”
March 2018
Flashlight Tour Narrative
Setup Prep
- Turn on TV, stoke a re
- Close Door to Servants Quarters (main and second)
- Close Door to Master Bedroom
- Small lights up stairs (3rd oor, servants, main staircase, and hallway
obstructions)
Main Hall – Two Guides per tour
At this point a tour guide will walk to the entryway turning their ashlight on when
standing directly in front of the tour group. The second guide will walk behind the
group throughout the tour to be security, to keep the tour together.
- Welcome the guests to the home.
- Mention that in case it is too dark or uncomfortable for anyone, the
basement where the tour will end is lit up and at anytime one of the guides
can escort you to the basement if needed.
- Point of Narrative: See Glensheen from a unique perspective – the dark.
- One of the most exciting things in the home at night is how the artwork and
family belongings shine, in the daylight it can be hard to pick up on details
when there is so much to look at. For this tour you will highlight your
favorite pieces that “shine” or “sheen”.
- This is not a tour that dives into the family history too much, its just to really
highlight certain pieces.
Turn left down hallway, open Servants door, up servants stairwell next
This is a backwards tour!
Staff Quarters
This will be a breather for tour groups before heading up to the boys oor.
Because of this take your time explaining what it was like working for the family.
Objects of interest with the ashlight
- Central Vacuum inlet
- Numbering system on Cabinets
- Lion at bottom of stairs to 3rd oor
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3rd Floor
Once you get to the top of the stairs briey explain that this is where all the boys
had their bedrooms. (guests may catch their breath)
- Do not walk on rugs!
- TURN OFF YOUR light. – Showcase how dark the 3rd oor is.
- Turn on light and ash the light down the long hallway towards the West
Guestroom
- Then begin walking all the way down the hallway to the couples bedroom.
- Along the way point out 2-3 pieces of artwork.
- The Lion print, (for lack of title) at the end of the hall was purchased in
1910 for $85. This is a piece by the master etcher Henry Thomas Dicksee in
1909. He came from a long line of accomplished artists and is well known
for his animal etchings that paid particularly close attention to anatomy,
many of which he exhibited at the Royal Academy (might be helpful
to know what the Royal Academy is). This piece is really beautiful to
point out with the detailing!
Married Couples Guest Bedroom
Objects of interest
- Stenciling
- Congdon purses
Walter’s Room
Objects of Interest
- Fireplace: The facing consists of a modular design depicting beanstalks that
extend from the bottom to top on each side of the replace.
- Ebony inlaid furniture
Boys Lounge
Objects of interest
- Yale Pillows
- Telescope
- Goats
Edwards room
Objects of Interest
- Copper Hood on the Fireplace (even matches the thermostat cover)
- Hidden gun rack
- Congdon camera collection
- Dark room
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Inrmary
Objects to Highlight
- Fireplace! You can nd Grueby tiles covering the replace. This is from a
Helen’s room
Objects of Interest
- Light xtures! Quezal Art Glass and decorating Company was incorporated
- DO NOT stick a metal ashlight under or too close to the shade, we don’t
want to break the glass.
- Keep pointing out these light xtures in the home, the colors really pop at
night.
Elisabeth’s Room
Objects of Interest
- Satinwood furniture
company in Boston founded by William H. Grueby in 1894. William H.
Grueby was a pioneer in the development of ceramic mat glazes in
America. Decorative tile panels featuring landscapes were popular
offerings in the catalogs of faience manufactories like Grueby in the early
1900’s. The panel in the Inrmary features the type of veined glaze that
was one of the unique innovations that made the Grueby Faience and
Tile famous. Intended to give more of a handcrafted appearance. Grueby
matte glazes were the product of ve years of experimentation after
nding inspiration in examples of french pottery that Grueby rst saw at
the Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago (helpful to explain what this
was). Unfortunately in 1909, shortly after construction of this estate was
completed, Grueby had declared bankruptcy and was forced to re-tool his
business.
a century ago on March 27th, 1902. The founders of the Art Glass named
the company after the rare and elusive Quezal, a bird which dwells on the
treetops in the remote tropical forests of Central America. One of the prized
characteristics of the Quezal Glass is the shimmering quality and iridescent
glow of beautiful colors reected in the interior and exterior of the glass.
Shades of opal, gold, blue and emerald are the most common decorative
motifs found on Quezal glass. The xtures are designed to be owers this is
liken to an Art Nouveau style which is seen throughout Helen’s room. This
style is based on organic shapes and naturalistic motifs.
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Single Women Guest Bedroom
Objects of Interest
- Tucson Garden, David Erickson (oil on canvas)
- Picture hanging system
- Lampshades (not original to room)
Chester’s Bedroom
Objects of Interest
- Clothes
- Bamboo cane- picked up in Chesters trip to the Pacic Rim Emergency light
bulb
Master Bathroom
Objects of Interest
- Shower
- Sitz bath
Master bedroom
Objects of interest
- The Wharves of Quebec, Birge Harrison (pastel on Paper) above replace
- Quezal Lights, the ashlight shows off the multifaceted colors in the glass.
- Pomegranates
- Portraits
- Paris, Knute Helder
- Glass doors
Marjorie’s Room
Objects of Interest
- Ventilation system
- Blooming lamp
- Thermostat
- Fire place
Down the Main Staircase Landing
Objects of interest
- Artwork
- Stenciled Burlap design
- Art glass- the owers change colors at night time
- Grandfather clock
- Secret cabinets (do not open)
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Living Room
Objects of Interest
- Too many to list, pick a couple of your favorites.
- Paris by Day, Paris by Night- looks amazing! Use the remote clicker.
- Waterfall of Yoro at Mino
Library
Objects of Interest
- Fireplace: Lustre Tiles
- Hanging light xtures (by replace)
- Glensheen was built in the waning decades of the Spiritualism movement,
a time when the country was swept up with mediums, séances and traveling
trance lecturers (charlatans). Also a great time of scientic illiteracy.
- Library was the room that Chester’s body was kept in for the home wake
/funerary service which was a societal norm.
Chester’s Ofce
Objects of Interest
- Antique Brass light xtures, Water lilies (Chester’s favorite)
- Japanese Cyprus
- Annunciator System
Dining Room
Objects of Interest
- House at Lyme, Moonlight, (1906) Childe Hassam
This piece was purchased in 1910 from the artist for $4,500 - He was a
signicant representative of American Impressionism movement. He
painted many moonlight scenes near Old Lyme, CT. In a letter to a friend
Hassam writes “We are all doing moonlights. The weather has
been so bad that we have been forced to it.”
Breakfast Room
Objects of Interest
- Rookwood Tile (maybe know a little about the company)
- Art Glass
- Wall fountain
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Butlers pantry
Objects of Interest
- German Silver sink
- Glass panel to dining room
- Laundry Room
Kitchen
Objects of Interest
- Stove
- Annunciator system
Head down the stairs to the Basement, remember to shut the door behind you.
Billiards room
Amusement Room
Wrap up tour
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“Servants Tour”
2019, spring edit
Incomplete, yet most ‘accurate’
Intro
Here at Glensheen, our other tours focus on the lives of the family and their guests.
The goal of this tour is to tell the story of people who built and ran the estate
because there are many voices to a historic house.
When a guest came to visit Glensheen it was a notable event in their lives.
Sometimes it even made the social columns in local papers.
On the other hand this estate was one of the largest in Minnesota and it took many
working people to support the lifestyle of the Congdons and their guests. Even
being a construction worker here was a tough job.
For the staff, the daily commute to work or to pick up provisions was intense in
winter. During the early years this likely meant a 10-block walk to the streetcar,
which didn’t extend past the house until the 1920s. Much of Duluth’s working class
lived on the western half of town while the middle class and wealthy built their
homes and mansions on the east. West Duluth had a large and active group of
Scandinavian Socialists where most female members worked as domestic workers.
A son of one of these women recalled his mother speaking unaffectionately about
the “Eastenders.”
[Note: Even with Chester’s “humble” middle class beginnings he grew up with
domestic help. When he was six years old the U.S. Census recorded a 30 year old
American woman named Rebecca Buckley as a live in domestic with the Sylvester
Congdon family. Most likely she would have been a maid-of-all-work. ]
Garage
First stop is the Garage, which was opened for this Servants Tour.
Tiffany Brick
These bricks are made by the Tiffany Enameled Brick Company. This Company
has afliation with Tiffany and Co. the high end retailer and jeweler or the luxury
glass and lighting manufacturer Tiffany Studios. Tiffany Enameled brick was
manufactured in Momence, IL (just south of Chicago) between 1884 and 1943 and
was nationally recognized for manufacturing process and enameled glaze.
- This garage from the start was not made for Carriages. If you look above
you can see the built in lift for automobiles. At this time the Congdons even
_______________________________________________
Hudelson, Richard, and Carl Ross. By the Ore Docks. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2006.
United States Department of Commerce. “United States Census, 1860.” FamilySearch. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCQ7-BFX.
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owned an electric car.
- Mercury Arc Rectier used to charge their electric car. A Mercury Arc
Rectier was used to change high-voltage alternating current (AC) to
direct current (DC).
- Oil Pump is designed to be able to choose how much oil you needed and
get the exact amount.
- In a letter home, a friend of daughter Helen Congdon referred to vehicles
they rode in to the bonspiel in town as “the machines.”
It would have been up to the chauffeur to maintain and drive the cars of the
Congdons. Also keep in mind the era - at this time the driver would have driven
with goggles for safety. Cars were seen almost as a sport and given that the
electric car was steered with a stick rather than a wheel – it probably took some
practice. Later on they did hire a mechanic to maintain the vehicles.
One of the Congdons earlier chauffeurs was Rudolf Miller. A German immigrant,
he worked for the Congdons. In 1911 the Congdons took a tour of Europe and
sent Rudolf and their Pierce Arrow on a ship across the sea to drive them around a
number of countries.
Overtime, the car quickly became more useful than their carriage collection.
The Congdons were known to own two Pierce Arrows and an electric car.
The two automobiles you see in the photo are their two Pierce Arrow Cars. Pierce
Arrow Motor Company was one of the most expensive car manufacturers of its
day. The Pierce Arrow was the rst ofcial automobile used by the President of the
United States, President Taft and President Wilson. It was status symbol used by
society’s “elite”.
We do not know who is in the photos with the cars, but it was possibly James
Mackay. He was the stableman in the 1920’s tending to cows and horses, but also
worked as the chauffeur.
Pierce arrows were marketed in 1908-09 for $6500 to $7750 depending on model,
that’s approximately $162,500 to $193,750 in 2019.
In 2016, a 1910 Pierce Arrow Seven Passenger Touring car was sold for $687,000.
Tack Room
Here is where you can nd the family’s original tack. Here are their yokes, bridles
and three saddles. To the right is an English style saddle because it does not have
the handle or horn in the center of the saddle. On the left is an American saddle.
Also, if you turn around you and look at the table, you can see one of the yokes
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with the CAC insignia on it and on the other is GGH or Guilford Graham Hartley.
Note that CAC yokes are silver plated and would have to be polished regularly.
The Hartley family was good friends with the Congdon family. Eventually, the
oldest son Walter Congdon would marry Guilford’s daughter Jessie.
All the equipment and the horses were maintained by the stableman. His role was
to keep the animals healthy as well as keep the stables and paddock clean. It is
hard to envision today, but in 1910 this side of the Carriage House would smell far
more like the barn as it was designed for at least horses and cows.
Second Floor Bedroom
Although there isn’t too much we know of this room, we do know it was designed
as a bedroom. Most likely lower ranking male staff would have been housed here.
- Show “Rules for house work and barn work” detailing the expectations and
job duties of some of the male staff. (Room Furnishings coming soon)
Cow Stanchions
It was here where Jersey dairy cows would be fed and milked. The stableman
would have lived directly above where we are today in the male servants quarters.
He would share the space with the coachman, who drove the carriages and the
chauffeur, who drove their automobiles.
Below is a short bio of one of the men working in this building.
Anderson, Aaron:
Aaron Anderson was a stableman and later coachman at Glensheen from 1906-
1910. He appears in the Duluth public record in 1895 working as a hostler
(someone who attends to horses) in Endion at the age of 23, an immigrant from
Sweden. He married and worked as a coachman for other homes in the East End
until his time at Glensheen. After leaving Glensheen, he worked for a short time
as a driver for Fitger’s Brewing, and then turned to gardening for various private
homes. It is unclear when he died or where he is buried, but his wife and children
ended up in Massachusetts by the 1950s.
There were many newly arrived immigrants in Duluth at this time with Swedes,
Germans, Finns and Scots making up much of the staff. They were learning English
but still more comfortable speaking their native tongues, cultural prejudice was
all around. In April of 1909 Mrs. Congdon wrote in her diary “Ned troubled about
men at stable. Scots don’t speak to Swe[des]”
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Vegetable Gardens
The rst gardener at Glensheen was John Kenny, who worked at Glensheen
until 1917. A man named Shepard was Head Gardener from 1917 to 1920, and
was followed by the short tenured gardener, Aston Plague, till George Wyness
replaced him in 1921. George Wyness came from Scotland, where he had become
famous for his skills in gardening at the Usan estate of Lord Keith in Montrose,
Scotland. He would use his reputation to move to America and eventually work
at a couple of the Frick estates including Eagle Rock. When the Congdons were
looking for yet another gardener, they took went out east and hired George
Wyness to take over the Glensheen grounds. (Fourie, Ada. Their Roots Run Deep.
N.p.: University of Minnesota.
George would stay in charge of the grounds up till 1945. His family had the
pleasure of growing up at the Glensheen, so we have different photos of them
enjoying the estate, such as his son, John Wyness, riding horseback and his other
son, Bob Wyness, shing in Lake Superior. (These photos can be seen in the
Laundry Room)
Shortly after World War II, his son Bob took over as Head Gardener of the estate
in 1945. After the UMD began to operate the estate he stayed on as a university
employee being represented by Teamsters Local 320 until his retirement in 1985.
Bob had lived at Glensheen since he was 6 years old and would remain living on
the Glensheen property with his wife Elsie until May 2004.
The vegetable garden was originally used to help feed the family throughout the
year. The original gardening staff varied from three to nine people. The gardener
planted a wide assortment of vegetables and fruits. Your common vegetables such
as carrots, lettuce, rhubarb, corn, and radishes were grown. Likewise, fruits such as
raspberries and strawberries were grown periodically.
The Sundial garden in the past was comprised mostly of annual owers so it has
also been named the Annual Garden. The name that was placed on this area by the
landscape designer was the Flower Garden. Back when there was a Greenhouse,
all the annuals were grown in there from seedlings and transplanted to the garden,
which would explain the large gardens of beautiful annuals in the old 1930s
photos. Most of the annuals you see on the property today have been purchased
at local businesses.
The Rose Garden was built to be just that since the property was constructed in
1907.
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Greenhouse
The gardener continued to work year round in part due to the Greenhouses.
They comprised of four rooms: the Palm House, the Rose House, the Carnation
House, and General Growing House. The Palm House was the largest and most
stylistic section of the Greenhouse. The gardener would purchase seeds and
begin growing the plants in this section of the Greenhouse. More than 6,000
seedlings were grown each year. Almost all of the annuals used to be grown in the
Greenhouse until they were torn down.
The University urged the Congdon Corporation, which was the body running
Glensheen between Elizabeth and before the University gained full ownership,
to tear down the Greenhouse because of the heating costs. Between 1908 and
1927, the Greenhouse boiler needed to be hand stoked periodically, even in
the middle of the night. This was also the job of the head gardener. In 1927 the
Congdons purchased an automatic stoker; this also was the same year the GC
was remodeled. But on January 15th , 1971, the Greenhouse was terminated.
Today you can see the old rooines on the back of the GC where the Greenhouse
connected to it. Also, the heating pipes are still in the ground. Many spare parts
that belonged to the Greenhouse are still in existence today, such as panels of
glass. We are lucky to have so many great photos of the Greenhouse today. It’s the
dream of many to reconstruct the Greenhouse.
Cornerstone
Construction began in 1905 as you can tell. But it was not completed until early
1909. Which was not a small feat in itself. In order to complete Glensheen, it took
at times over 300 people throughout the 3 year construction with as many as
70 or more people working in a day often six days a week. In the early years of
construction, staff were laboring 10-11 hours a day. By the last two years they’d
slowed the pace to 8 or 8.5 hours a day. General laborers were paid around 20 to
22.5 cents an hour while bricklayers and plasterers would make 62.5 to 75 cents
an hour (Lane). Many of these laborers or tradesmen were English, Swedish or
Finnish.
In May 1907, construction was halted by a city-wide builders’ strike. In a letter to
Congdon, William A. French states, “all work on the house has ceased.” Initially
twelve unions demanded higher wages and better working conditions. Eight
of those unions’ demands were met, but the construction companies refused
demands from the electricians, carpenters, roofers, and laborers. The next
day 1,000 workers across Duluth went on strike. A local Bishop stepped in as
arbitrator. The strike lasted about two weeks before raises were won. Although all
of the workers’ demands weren’t met it was seen as a big win for labor.
_______________________________________________
William A. French to Chester Congdon, May 7, 1907.
Labor World, Duluth News Tribune, and Duluth Evening Herald, May 1-May 13, 1907.
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Comparing the living quarters of the workers to the house they were constructing.
Many lived in multi-family homes or even boarding houses. One young laborer,
William Westerlund, made the newspaper after there were many cases of food
poisoning at the boarding house where he lived. That boarding house was located
in the red light district we call it Canal Park today.
Many skilled workers went on to build homes after working at Glensheen, and
went on to raise families who still reside in Duluth today. Living descendants are
now 2 or 3 generations away from those original builders and may not be aware
of the connections. Our current congressman, Pete Stauber, is the great-great-
grandson of Walter Stuberg who worked on Glensheen in 1906.
Servants’ Entrance
This is the servants front entrance. Many of you may have gone through Glensheen
before, but you may not have fully realized how separate the servants’ quarters
were from the family’s. To the family and staff, these were separate homes for
people of different classes.
Even today some of the returning Congdon family feel odd going into the servants
spaces because they were not allowed to enter these areas. For example when a
new family guest would arrive at Glensheen, the guest would be welcomed by the
Butler into family’s front door. But the guest’s Chauffeur or Coachman would be
escorted to this door here.
Front Entry
*As you bring the tour into the house, show the closest, staff coat storage*
Sewing Room
This room in particular would have been a place the staff would have spent many
hours. One of their part time staff would have been a seamstress.
In the built-in cabinets show off:
- Hanging dresses
- Silk shoes
- Sewing kit
- Bear gloves, used for driving sleighs (not part of Congdon Collection)
- Wedding dress, unknown wedding, possibly Helen or Elisabeth’s daughters.
Clara Congdon, was likely the manager of the servants. Most records indicate that
prior to 1916, Glensheen employed around 30 workers for daily estate operation.
Of the 30, about 7 to 10 were permanent staff. These staff would have their own
support staff below them. Some who would be part time and seasonal.
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To live onsite at Glensheen may be viewed as a privilege to some or just a means
to survive by others. It’s likely the Congdons paid their staff the going rate in
Duluth, maybe even below some of the other wealthy families. They occasionally
granted vacations, intermittently lent out their cars and boats for outings, and gave
wedding and “get well” gifts.
The 1900 census reported that 20.6% of women 16 years of age or older were fully
employed with 24.1% of those being employed as a servant or waitress. Only 26.2
percent of domestic workers in the U.S. were white and born to American parents.
After World War I the number of domestic servants dropped by half. After World
War II, domestic servants became rare. This signicant change took place because
of the new shift in the US economy with a larger variety of occupations for men
and women. Rampant and overt sexism, classism, and discrimination was abound
and directed at those who were not assimilated into the the dominant culture.
These were the senior positions around 1912:
- Butler $75 per month
- Houseman $110
- Gardener $75
- Stableman $50
- Chauffeur $65
- Coachman
- Upstairs Maid $35
- Downstairs Maid $35
- Cook $45
We can compare these wages with workers on the Iron Range to see that these are
standard working class wages.
Oliver Mining employees monthly wages, 1907:
- Shovel Engineers $125 plus bonus (up to $25)
- Shovel Cranes Men $90 plus bonus
- Foreman $80-$120
- Locomotive Engineers $3.50 per day (about $84 a month) plus bonus
- Firemen/Brokemen $2.50 per day (about $60 a month)
- Blacksmith $2.25-3.25 per day ($54-$78)
- Blacksmith Assistant $2-2.25 ($48-54)
- Carpenters $2-3 ($48-72)
- Teamster $2.25 ($54)
- Watchmen $2-2.25 ($47-54)
- Mules drivers $2.40 ($57.60)
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- Pumpmen $2.25-2.60 ($54-62.40)
- Talley Boy $1.65 ($39.60)
While some management wages per month include:
- Harry C. Dudley $2,200
- Leroy Salsich $2,700
- John Greenway, $6,600
Servants’ Quarters
This area housed the live-in female staff including the upstairs maid, downstairs
maid, and the cook.
- No photos of servants quarters, this area was never for show and often
ignored.
- Early blueprints can help us piece together what the space would have
looked like.
- The walls would have featured stenciling
Servant’s Room
A diary of a former maid, Else Wilke, was compiled in English , this is our best
insight into knowing what it was like to be a domestic servant at Glensheen.
*Show photo of Else Wilke and Lenore
Else was a German immigrant who found her rst American employment at
Glensheen. She worked here from 1922-23.
She started out as the upstairs maid taking care of the bedrooms and bathrooms.
In the evening during dinner she would get the beds ready to get into. Later on
she was “promoted” to downstairs maid. A typical work day was 10-12 hours. Else
had Thursdays off. Sundays were the cook and butler’s day off, which Else had to
work 16 hours to keep up with the extra work.
She had two uniforms. In the morning, it was a blue and white striped uniform for
cleaning; this she had to pay herself. During lunch she would change into a formal
black dress, provided by the employer, with white lace aprons.
Her room would have been furnished with only bed, dresser, and a chair.
Else’s time at Glensheen was over after she was married as Clara had strict rules
about married woman working. Many rules and expectations of domestic workers
came from women’s magazines which would give suggestions to wealthy women
of ways to manage a house staff.
_______________________________________________
Working class and management wages from: Boese, Donald L. John C. Greenway and the Opening of the Western Mesabi.
Grand Rapids, MN: Itasca Community College Foundation, 1975.
Footnote to history is a compilation of diary entries translated into english and given a narrative account of the Else Wilke. We
do not possess the original diary of Else. Footnote to History does have some inaccuracies.
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Putsz, Jennifer. Voices from the Backstairs. Dekalb, IL: Northern Illinois University
Press, 2010.
(Coming Soon: Second Bedroom)
Staff Background
Most of the servants were either immigrants or rst-generation Americans. Records
indicate that the most common ethnic background was Swedish. As far as we are
aware all the servants employed at Glensheen were white belonging to English
and northern European ancestry. This would be inline with mainstream “science”
at the time that which promoted hierarchy of races generally: “Nordic” northern
Europeans, then descending to central Europeans, southern Europeans (Slavic
and Italians,) Asian, American Indians, then with Africans on the bottom rung. A
book in the Congdon library titled The Conict of Color follows these ideas of
white supremacy. The theories were given perceived legitimacy by the Federal
Governments U.S. Senate’s Dillingham Commission Report of 1910-11.
The Butler was in charge of all the staff, but that doesn’t mean that Mrs. Congdon
didn’t hear about trouble. In her diary in 1909 she wrote:
“More or less dissension among servants.”
One of the longest employed staff members in the early 20th century was Essie
Larson. Essie started working for the family at their old Superior Street residence.
Who was Essie Larson?
Essie Victoria Larson was a maid she was hired in 1906 and worked for the
Congdons until her marriage in 1914. She grew up on a farm in Polk County,
Wisconsin to Swedish immigrant parents. By age twenty, she had moved to Duluth
to work in domestic service, beginning on Park Point for a middle class family.
She married at age 29 – and at that time, when maids on staff married it was
conventional that they leave service. Glensheen was no exception. Because women
had almost no rights or social recognition at the time.
Asking someone to leave a job after marriage today is discrimination. Why was this
conventional? Because you become your husband’s property.
None of the laborers were protected by any laws preventing discrimination against
sex or race. Even when the federal government passed the Social Security Act in
1935 it excluded agricultural workers and domestic servants.
- Clara Congdon had a rule that most of the staff needed to be unmarried.
_______________________________________________
Hudelson, Richard, and Carl Ross. By the Ore Docks. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2006.
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As a product of that rule, Glensheen became a perfect place to meet other
single people.
- For example, Esther Larson was a downstairs maid, who while working at
Glensheen meet one of the gardeners, Erick Erickson. It didn’t take
long and they were to be married.
- Clara followed her rule and said they could no longer work at Glensheen.
But she asked if they would be willing to be the caretakers of their
newer home at their Orchard & Ranch in Washington State. A “castle”
nicknamed Westhome. They said yes.
Down this hall is the upstairs maid, and then the cook’s room. At the very end
you can see their bathroom. It was common for indoor plumbing at this time and
electricity.
Linen Closet
This is another new space not seen up close by the public.
Notice the numbered cabinets. These numbers could be used for reference
by maids to know what linens went where in the house. Each number did not
correspond to a certain room, but rather was a reference tool.
Example – “Clara told me to place those blankets in cabinet 8”
- Note the monogrammed towels
- Also monogrammed napkin sets.
- The ledger contains many pages listing various linens used in the house.
- Insecticide bottles that were found only recently, but had been in the
drawer for many years.
- The original upholstery of the large furniture in Main Hall.
- 1930s calendar with notes written
Servants’ Dining Room
Imagine he has taken his coat off and he is relaxing after a long journey. This is
more than likely were the house staff would entertain him while he waited for his
employer. This is the room the staff would eat their meals, but also it is most likely
the space the staff came to unwind especially during the winter.
Congdon family oral history says that this table belonged to the Congdons when
they lived on Superior St. in the Traphagen home.
In the United States it was customary for servants to eat the same meals that was
prepared for the family. Putsz, Jennifer. Voices from the Backstairs. Dekalb, IL:
Northern Illinois University Press, 2010.
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Servants had a longer days, so they would eat breakfast before the family, dinner
was served after.
Cook’s Pantry
- show them cabinet drawers that pull open
- show the old wooden ice box
- open up cabinets to show inside
- show the silver that needs to be polished.
- show granite counter
- show butter paddles (these were used for mixing salt into the butter and
kneading the butter into the desired consistency
Who was the rst cook? Beda Boya:
Beda Frederika Boya was the Congdons’ cook beginning in 1907 at 1509 Superior
St. and then on to Glensheen until 1911. Boya (or Boija) was born in 1880 in Timrå,
Sweden, rst immigrating to the United States in 1903 to join her sister Helen in
Superior, Wisconsin, who was then working as a maid. She never married.
In addition to the cook, there would be temporary help who worked for the cook.
It was common practice to “borrow” a cook from neighboring household for larger
dinners and gatherings. None of these staff seemed to be named directly by the
Congdons in their nancial ledgers.
Kitchen
This Kitchen has no photo, but we do have a blueprint of the original layout. So
we can guess to its original look and feel. The sink would probably be similar to a
country style sink with the counter portion draining into a tub.
Throughout the home are little white buttons. If at any time the family needed
assistance, they would push the button and a staff member would come to assist.
Here you can see where a servant was needed.
But for certain it was a busy place. Especially around the holidays when the larger
family was all in town. The Stove in the back would have been a ten burner stove.
*Show photo of stove and blueprint of room with stove and sinks
Recipe cabinet next to stove:
- Canning labels
- Cookbooks
- Open cookbook with recipe written in Swedish.
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Swedish was the most common nationality of domestic workers at Glensheen
especially among the female staff. Most American girls were raised with a stigma
of working as a servant. Many European immigrants did not hold such stigma.
Swedish servants found better wages and working conditions in the United States,
however that didn’t stop them from being subject to cultural stereotypes.
The 1881 book The Servant Girl Question tells its readers that a Swedish servant is
only good “while she is fresh.”
Mary Sherwood’s Manners and Social Usages (1918) suggests, when hiring a
chambermaid, to hire an English girl, but Irish or Swedish would be second choice.
She also advises on hiring newer “green” immigrants who were easier to mold to
the house’s needs.
Servants Porch and Courtyard
This porch was servants’ access to the outside world. The milkman would deliver
the milk here. The mailman would deliver mail to this door. Because those roles
are accepted as servants, not as a guest, they would have to enter the property
through the east service gate entrance and not the formal west gate entrance. That
way they did not disturb the lives of the family and the family’s guests on the west
side.
Lastly, this area is where staff would go to relax and smoke. Smoking was very
common back then, more so than today and this was a known common gathering
spot to do so. It was their refuge.
* show icebox from this side
Throughout the home are little white buttons. If at any time the family needed
assistance, they would push the button and a staff member would come to assist.
Here you can see where a servant was needed.
Butler’s Pantry
Here is where the family stored their dishware. Likely, they had monogrammed
dishware with a Congdon insignia of CAC or large C.
Hidden in the back here is the laundry chute, which reaches up to the 3rd oor
down to the basement level directly into the laundry room. It should be noted that
the laundry chute is a great way to eavesdrop on people on other oors – I’m sure
no Congdon servant did this – but tour guides sure do!
Near the laundry chute is a small ice box.
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*Grab a glove and open up ice box.
Sections of ice would be broken from the ice container in the Cook’s pantry and
placed in here to help smaller items stay cool.
The most famous item in the room is the German silver sink. Please do not
touch. The sink itself dents very easily and touching it leaves ngerprints which
our morning crew need to polish out and could permanently stain it. At the
neighboring mansion, they also have a German silver sink, but it is heavily dented.
Why is it made to dent easy?
That way when the butler is washing the dishes and if by chance he drops one of
the dishes into the sink, it would dent the sink and not break the dishware.
Under the sink you can see a small insulated space. This is like an old version of
a microwave. With the heat of the hot pipes and the insulated cabinet you could
place a portion of the meal on the pipes to keep it warm.
Also, notice the drying rack for towels and napkins.
Lastly, you can see this door, which swings both ways. That way the staff can enter
and exit with ease. But especially notice the little window in the door. It was the
job of the Butler to stand here and watch to see if the family needed anything and
when needed he would pop out for assistance.
*Pause – big moment
Notice, we have not yet entered the family’s home at all so far on this tour. This
entire tour has taken place in the servants’ portion of the home.
Whenever staff would enter the family’s home it was with caution. There presence
was meant to be kept at a minimal. In many circumstances the maids would wait
for guests or family to leave before cleaning their rooms. In the Chester years,
most oral history indicates that the Butler would have been one of the few staff
members to often enter into the family’s portion of the home.
Breakfast and Dining Rooms
On the oor in the Breakfast Room and under the table in the Dining Room you will
see call buttons. These buttons would ring a bell in the kitchen notifying the staff
when services is needed such as when the family is ready for the next course. Call
buttons (usually on the oor like in the Breakfast Room) were common in middle-
The Tour Manual - Servants | Page 61
class and wealthy homes that employed domestic work.
Also in the Dining Room you can see the silver xtures and service which would
require frequent polishing by the maids. Luxuries like these were purchased with
the intent that the family would never need to labor for their care.
Main Hall
Silver Safe
Behind this door housed the Silver Safe. Located across from the Dining Room this
was primarily used to lock away the family’s silver service when not in use. Features
like these remind us servants were often viewed among wealthy families like the
Congdons as employees and not family, national anti-immigrant sentiments and
rampant stereotypes of immigrants perpetuated by media at the time frame the
the portrayal of the “other” in society.*
Door Bell
The butler would watch this panel to be notied of what door a guest or family
member was entering. Then he could greet and assist them if necessary.
Coat Closet and Powder Room
This small bathroom and closet was maintained by the Butler. Since it was his duty
to greet and assist you at the door, many of the guests would come with coats or
outdoor weather clothing. He would take articles of clothing and store them in this
closet. You may notice the holes in the top of the closet doors. This would allow
airow for the melting snow that may have accumulated on someone’s coat.
In addition, many of the guests like today came to Glensheen from a long prior
journey and would need a restroom. This space allowed that without having them
enter too far into the home, in case the person they were there to see was not
available.
The family’s rst butler was William Atherton who was an English immigrant. It was
a status symbol to hire a butler from England in tting with an English-style estate.
But it seemed that the butler had some personality conicts with the house staff –
causing Mrs. Congdon to note: “Beda & Essie report Atherton very rude & horrid
yesterday.”
The Congdons themselves had some run-ins with their formal butler. In 1913 Clara
wrote, “Had are with Atherton about pressing H’s suit…I think I must make him do
it.”
Finally in 1914 – the Butler and Glensheen had enough with each other. After some
The Tour Manual - Servants | Page 62
more noted disputes with the cook, “Atherton left in a rage before noon. Did not
say good-bye….Everyone satised to see him go.”
Who was William Atherton?
William Thomas Atherton (Jr.) was the butler from 1908-1914. He was born in
Norfolk, England in 1873 to parents who worked in service, his father was both a
gardener and groom, and his mother a cook. Atherton became a butler by 1901
and worked in at least one ne estate in Norfolk. He and his family immigrated
to Minnesota in 1906. He was a prominent member of social club Clan Stewart in
Duluth.
After quitting Glensheen in a bit of a huff, he ran Ye English Inn with his father and
mother at what is now 199 Howard Gnesen Road (crossroads of Middle Rd and
Howard Gnesen Rd.) which was a popular social destination for a short time during
the Great War.
Keep in mind, that a staff member was also responsible for maintaining the 15
replaces of the home and attending to them, if the family wanted it lit. This more
than likely was the job of a part-time staff member.
Bring group into servants quarters, into kitchen, and downstairs to basement hallway.
Boiler Room
In this room is where all the heating units for the entire mansion are located. At
the time each room had its own temperature control. As you can see it had a coal
fed boiler. For many years it had an automated auger that shifted coal into the
furnace. But in the Chester years, it did not. All the coal had to be fed by shovel.
More than likely this was another job done by a part-time staff member.
Behind that door in the back is the coal room.
Bring group back into hallway.
The room you are passing is an ofce. It is the old wood room for those 15
replaces.
Milk Room
This is where the milk from the cows was processed. Just as now, there was
concern about food safety, you can see the slanted oors for ensuring good
drainage.
And Clara wrote in her diary that “ Beda to clean milk room oor with acid”
The Tour Manual - Servants | Page 63
Cold Room
With all the vegetables being grown on the estate, many were canned to be used
by the family later. The family spent a great deal of money to be self-sustaining.
Similar to today, there was a movement to grow locally.
In the 20s, staff have accounted that great fruit boxes of apples from the Congdon
orchards in Washington would arrive and the staff were allowed “to eat all of them
we wished.”
Laundry room
This is another room, where the Laundress would have spent a great deal of time.
She was a part-time staff member who came in on Monday to do laundry.
- Laundry was hand washed with large sinks along east wall. (See blueprints)
- The large dryer from the Chicago Clothes Dryers would be used for a
variety of linens, but especially bed sheets. Clothes would also be hung in
Servants Courtyard.
- The mangle, which was used to iron the large linens and other clothing.
- Padded table for ironing clothes
- Point out small implement on table between two baskets. This is a uter and
was heated and then used to make ripples or rufes in clothing. Also on this
table is a sleeve ironing board, made specically to iron sleeves without
leaving a crease.
End of Tour
This brings us to the end of the servants’ tour. I hope this gave you a different way
to view Glensheen. In addition, we hope you got to see a little into the daily lives
of the servants of the time.
Bring your tour to the Main Hall. They will then view the house as General Admission.
The Tour Manual - Servants | Page 64
“Limited Mobility Tours”
March 2018
Offered 8:50 AM & later afternoon (Exact time TBD), There may also be a noon tour
(TBD)
This tour will be a guided tour like any other, but it will begin in the ticket house.
This will allow easy pick-up of the tour and time to point out the gift shop that can
be visited after the tour is complete. Like other self guided tours begin in the hall
and continue through the rooms on the west side as usual. Then return down to
the east end going with the ow of tours through the servants dining room. When
you exit the dining room exit the front door. On the walk outside to the basement
explain the second oor. Once you have entered the basement continue to point
out the laundry room and walk toward the amusement room. Drop your guests off
in the amusement room and encourage them to look around.
- Ticket house
- Enter front door
- West end of 1st oor
- East end with the ow of tours (starting in the Servant’s Dining Room)
- Exit out the front door
- Walk guests to basement, while talking about the second and third oors
- Enter mud room
- Guide through the spaces starting with the Laundry Room
- Continue toward amusement room while discussing spaces
- In the amusement room wrap up the tour and tell guests they exit the same
way we entered
- Remind them the Stable and Gift shop is available to view as well as the rest
of the estate
The Tour Manual - Limited Mobility | Page 65
“Summer Evening Tour Route”
(Friday and Saturday 2019)
2 hour tour.
Start - Carriage House (Usual location)
Bring through Vegetable Garden, if possible, bring group by raspberries and
allow to pick through fence.
Bring group through Sundial Garden
Bring group to steps to show Tennis Court
Bring group to Rose Garden, show U of M roses
Bring group down steps towards Bent Brook in the Fox Forest
Bring Group into Bent Brook, tell story about playing cards in brook with water
going through your feet
Bring group back to path and bring up to West Gate, near large staircase leading
to Tischer Creek
Showcase view of Mansion
Showcase view of Stone Arch Bridge on way back
Bring into home and give full mansion Tour
- 75 minutes pass
Bring group into Formal Garden
Bring group to Stone Arch Bridge
Bring group to Outlook which looks onto Stone Arch Bridge and Lake Superior
Bring group to Boathouse, show inside
Drop off group by Gift Shop
The Tour Manual - Summer Evening | Page 66
“Grounds Tour”
(Offered by special request)
Updated June 9th, 2014
Greeting
Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to the Glensheen Estate, and the new Grand
Gardens and Grounds Tour. I am ______(tour guide’s name), and I shall be your tour
guide. If you have any questions, feel free to ask at any time.
Introduction
Begin standing near Ticket House.
The Glensheen estate was owned by Chester Congdon, who was in his late 40s
at the time of Glensheen’s completion. Mr. Congdon became wealthy during the
Gilded Age in America; and he like other fellows of his time, such as, Andrew
Carnegie, rose from the poor class straight to the stratosphere of the wealthy, the
modern American dream. He then earned incredible amounts of wealth from
land speculation later in his life, but his skills as a lawyer brought him into the small
circle of powerful men who dened the Industrial era. When he decided to build a
new home in Duluth around 1901, he and his wife, Clara Congdon, wanted to live
in a more private environment than their home in east Duluth, which Mr. Congdon
called the Traphagen house. It was called the Traphagen house because it was
designed and lived in by the famous Duluth architect Oliver Traphagen. That
home was a duplex, and it was where the Congdon’s lived during the construction
of Glensheen. Mrs. Congdon was excited to move away from the Traphagen
home because of the noise of the neighborhood. Her new neighbors at
Glensheen would be quiet because on one side there was a Norwegian cemetery
and on the other, nothing. When they arrived on the property, the beauty of Lake
Superior, Tischer Creek and Bent Brook touched the couple. By 1903, they were
already on the property doing measurements. They would later agree to the idea
of having the home between these two streams of water. This would provide a very
majestic and naturalistic foundation to their landscaping project.
_______________________________________________
Sheldon T. Aubut and Maryanne C. Norton, Images of America Duluth Minnesota (Chicago: Arcadia, 2001), 99.
Ibid., 99.
Ibid., 99.
Judy Vick, “A Palace Called Glensheen,” Twin Cities, March 1981, 36.
C M C, Glensheen Grounds Tour Manual (Duluth: Glensheen, 1990), 2.
The Tour Manual - Grounds | Page 67
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To design the grounds of the estate Mr. Congdon chose Charles Leavitt Jr. as
the landscape designer. Mr. Leavitt was a civil and landscape engineer from
New York City. The home was being constructed in an era when the naturalistic
designs of Frederick Law Olmsted inspired all. Mr. Olmstead became famous for
his design of New York City’s Central Park, which focused on preserving nature
with man as more of an onlooker than a participant. At the time, Mr. Leavitt
was one of more renowned in his eld. He became known for his work on such
projects as Long Beach, NY, Monument Valley, and the estates of George Post and
John D. Rockefeller. The grounds were designed almost entirely from his ofce
in New York City. After the designs were completed and then approved by Mr.
Congdon, Mr. Leavitt’s chief subordinates, Arthur Nichols and Anthony Morrell,
would adapt them to the property. Sometimes the designs would change in
order to adapt to the property, but most of the time Mr. Leavitt was able design
the grounds awlessly. These two men would later become pioneers in landscape
design as well. Mr. Morrell and Mr. Nichols would go into business together and
would complete such projects as the community of Morgan Park and develop
plans for Lester Park and Washington Square. After Mr. Morrell passed away,
Mr. Nichols worked on a section of Skyline Parkway and later the Minnesota State
Capitol. While Morrell worked with Nichols on many projects as a team with
Leavitt, it seems from the correspondence letters we have that he was the higher-
ranking employee to Leavitt at the time of the construction of Glensheen.
The property the Congdons originally purchased in 1905 was around 22 acres,
and at the time the University of Minnesota was donated the home, it was 22.7
acres. When Mr. Leavitt purchased the plants for the grounds, he purchased over
266 varieties at a cost of 1,506.50 on March 21st 1907. These plants were hand-
selected by some of the best nurseries in the country. To help grow all these
new plants, over 500 pounds of black soil was brought to the estate. Now, let’s
starting walking!
Pasture/ Parking Lot
Start speaking near entrance of parking lot.
This parking lot you are standing in used to be a Pasture for the horses and cows.
In the early days of Glensheen, they had a goal of keeping enough animals and
_______________________________________________
Ibid., 6.
“A Celebration of the Life and Times of Frederick Law Olmsted, founder of American Landscape Architecture.”, http://www.frederick
lawolmsted.com/Lifeframe.html.
Gregory Kopischke, American Landscape Initiative, National Park Service, http://www.cr.nps.gov/hps/hli/p2sample.htm.
Ibid.
Morell & Nichols Landscape Architects, Board of Park Commissioners Duluth Minn., “Plan for Improvement of Lester Park”,
(Minneapolis, January 1911)
Kopischke, American Landscape Initiative.
Charles Leavitt Jr. (Landscape Designer), letter to Chester Congdon, October 5 1908. File 302b Glensheen agreement
1/15/1907 with city of Duluth covering dam across Tischer’s Creek, etc. Large File Box, 2nd oor closet near elevator
C M C, Glensheen Grounds Tour Manual, 6
Robert J. Reichert, Utilization Study for Glensheen Final Report, September 1978, 8.
Charles Leavitt Jr (Landscape Designer), invoice for Plant purchases, March 21, 1907. Digital Database of Glensheen Grounds Photos.
Ibid.
C M C, Glensheen Grounds Tour Manual, 7
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plants to be self-sufcient, so an area for grazing and riding horses was necessary.
After Mr. Congdon passed away in 1916 due to heart failure, Clara inherited full
ownership of the estate till her death in 1950 at the age of 96, when her youngest
daughter, Elizabeth, assumed ownership of the estate. During Clara’s years, the
Pasture more than likely transitioned into an open eld or prairie. From the photos
we have in 1969, it was a very plush, tall eld.
You should be standing near the retaining pool.
The Pasture/ eld was turned into a parking lot when the University took over the
property in the late 70’s. The Parking Lot can hold 300 people for events if need
be. The lot itself has changed over the years as well. The lot initially was divided
by a paved lot and a dirt lot. The dirt lot was generally the staff lot while the paved
lot was for the guests and docents. As years progressed, the University decided
to update the lot due to environmental concerns. The goal of the University was
to reduce the runoff of the lot. The runoff can be unhealthy for the environment
because of the oil, gas, and other forms of pollution that would fall off in a
concentrated area closer to Lake Superior. It’s safer for the environment if you can
have the pollutants go through the ground in smaller doses, this way the ground
can act as a lter. In 2004, UMD built a retaining pool at the southern end of the
lot and a swale between the dirt and paved lot to help solve the runoff issue.
Gardener’s Cottage
Start speaking near the front of the GC.
The GC has gone through two different styles. It was initially done in the
Jacobean Revival style to match the home. Later on, it was enlarged to t the
family of the Wynesses in 1927 and was remodeled in its current style, which is
the English Tudor style. This is also the same style as the Carriage House today.
After it was remodeled by the Duluth Architectural rm, Starin and Melander,
the Gardener’s cottage had nine rooms, including three bedrooms, with a total
square footage of 1,916. They transformed the potting room into the kitchen
and pantry. When the Greenhouse was still in existence, the room you entered
the greenhouse from was the potting room, where the gardener kept most of the
pots and maintenance tools for the Greenhouse. Also in the basement of the GC,
_______________________________________________
photo, the Glensheen pasture, 1969. Digital Database of Glensheen Grounds Photos.
Kathy Bergh, interview by Daniel Hartman, March 18, 2005.
Sher Lind, interview by Daniel Hartman, February 24, 2005.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
C M C, Glensheen Grounds Tour Manual, 19.
Ibid., 19.
Ibid., 19.
Sher Lind, interview by Daniel Hartman.
Dan Mc Clelland, room footage chart, circa 1990.
C M C, Glensheen Grounds Tour Manual, 19.
Ibid., 19. The Tour Manual - Grounds | Page 69
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two pipes are visible that were used to heat the Greenhouse. These pipes were
attached to the boiler in the basement.
The rst gardener at Glensheen was John Kenny, who worked at Glensheen
till 1917. A man named Shepard was Head Gardener from 1917 to 1920,
and was followed by the short tenured gardener, Aston Plague, till George
Wyness replaced him in 1921. George Wyness came from Scotland, where he
had become famous for his skills in gardening at the Usan estate of Lord Keith
in Montrose, Scotland. He would use his reputation to move to America and
eventually work at one of the Frick estates. When the Congdons were looking for
yet another gardener, they took the advice of Frick’s daughter and hired George
Wyness to take over the Glensheen grounds. This would be the start of a long
Wyness gardening legacy. George Wyness would transform the grounds to a
new style, one that would be plush, full, and more similar to the current grounds
layout. George would stay in charge of the grounds up till 1945. His family had
the pleasure of growing up at the Glensheen Estate, so we have different photos of
them enjoying the estate, such as his son, John Wyness, riding horseback and his
other son, Bob Wyness, shing in Lake Superior.
Shortly after his son, Bob, returned from World War II, he let his son takeover as
Head Gardener of the estate in 1945. Bob had lived at Glensheen since he
was 6 years old and was considered a part of the Congdon family and later the
University family. Bob would remain living on the Glensheen property with his
wife Elsie till May 2004. Bob not only became a part of the staff and family of the
Glensheen community; but, also, he himself became a living monument of the
history at Glensheen. Many times, Bob would venture out of his home and would
mingle with guests. He was well known for his kindness and compassion.
The Gardener’s Cottage went through a major renovation in 2015 and 2016.
The ground oor was restored back to its original layout and look in 1908. In
addition, unlike the other structures of Glensheen, the utilities are fully updated
and the building is ADA compliant. This came at a cost of $400,000. This was
only possible because of a private donation from Richard Nicholson at $100,000
and the remainder was paid through with ticket sale surplus dollars from the
prior successful year. Today it is a space used by Glensheen staff for ofces on
the second oor and multi-purpose space on the ground oor. During the week
it is used by staff as a meeting space and by interns. On weekends it is used by
couples as the Wedding Cottage. Overall, the GC will always stand as a memorial
to the Wyness family.
_______________________________________________
Sher Lind, interview by Daniel Hartman.
Ibid.
C M C, Glensheen Grounds Tour Manual, 19.
Ibid., 19.
Ibid., 8.
H.B. Frick’s Daughter, Letter to Mrs. Congdon, Recommendation for George Wyness, 2nd oor closet near bathroom, North Carriage
House, Glensheen Archives.
photo, John Wyness, Digital Database of Glensheen Grounds Photos.
photo, Bob Wyness shing, Digital Database of Glensheen Grounds Photos.
C M C, Glensheen Grounds Tour Manual, 8.
The Tour Manual - Grounds | Page 70
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Vegetable Garden/ Sundial Garden
Start speaking at the entrance of Vegetable Garden and eventually walk them up to
the Sundial Garden.
The vegetable garden was originally used to help feed the family throughout the
year. It was one of the many functions to help keep the Congdon family entirely
self-sufcient. The original gardening staff varied from three to nine people.
Today the staff is around six strong, mainly composed of university students
led by our Head Gardener, Sher Lind. The garden itself had a wide assortment
of vegetables and fruits. Your common vegetables such as carrots, lettuce,
rhubarb, corn, and radishes were grown. Likewise, fruits such as raspberries and
strawberries were grown periodically. One of the unique things about the location
of the grounds of Glensheen is how close it is to the lake. Since the gardens
are so close to the lake, the plants are in a different climate zone than plants in
Hermantown, which is just on the top of the hill. This makes the growing season
a little different than it would be in more inland locations in Duluth. When
the University acquired the property, they used the Vegetable Garden as an
experimental garden. The plants, which were grown at Glensheen, were picked
by the Minnesota Extension Service; and some were even scientically modied.
These different types would be grown to compare growth rates, size, and many
other variables.
You should be standing in the Annual Garden.
The Sundial garden in the past was comprised mostly of annual owers so it has
also been named the Annual Garden. The name that was placed on this area by the
landscape designer was the Flower Garden. Back when there was a Greenhouse,
all the annuals were grown in there from seedlings and transplanted to the garden,
which would explain the large gardens of beautiful annuals in the old 1930s
photos. Most of the annuals you see on the property today have been purchased
at local businesses.
The Rose Garden was built to be just that since the property was constructed in
1907. Today there are more than roses in there, but the University plans on using
only roses again sometime in the near future.
_______________________________________________
Chester A. Congdon, nancial record from 1906-09, Journal C CAC, Right side of closet, 2nd oor closet near elevator, Glensheen Archives.
Sher Lind, interview by Daniel Hartman.
Ibid.
Charles Leavitt (Landscape Architect), Glensheen Estate original design.
Charles Leavitt (Landscape Architect), Glensheen Estate original design.
Sher Lind, interview by Daniel Hartman.
The Tour Manual - Grounds | Page 71
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Greenhouse
You should start speaking on the east side of the Annual Garden.
The Greenhouse used to exist right behind the GC and extended up to the
Tennis Court. There was also a row of Lombardy Poplars alongside the East
Gate Entrance to act as a windbreak, but they were taken down because the
branches would fall and break the Greenhouse glass panels. Lord & Burnham
Company built the Greenhouse in 1907. The Greenhouse was comprised of four
rooms: the Palm House, the Rose House, the Carnation House, and General
Growing House. The Palm House was the largest and most stylistic section of
the Greenhouse. It was 25 by 50 feet and was used to store exotic plants such
as orchids and banana trees. It was featured in most photos of the Greenhouse
because of its external aesthetic quality. The other Greenhouse rooms were not of
this style. The Rose House was 18 by 25 feet and was used to grow roses for the
family year round. Easter lilies were also grown in the Rose House. The Carnation
House was 18 by 25 feet and grew carnations for oral arrangements. Carnations
in the early 20th century served as purpose of style and were a symbol of prestige.
It has also been said that Mr. Congdon was a fan of the carnation. The General
Growing House was 18 by 40 feet and was used for seedling and bedding plants.
The gardener would purchase seeds and begin growing the plants in this section
of the Greenhouse. More than 6,000 seedlings were grown each year. Almost
all of the annuals used to be grown in the Greenhouse till the University asked the
Congdons to tear it down.
The University urged the Congdon Corporation, which was the body running
Glensheen between Elizabeth and before the University gained full ownership,
to tear down the Greenhouse because of the heating costs. When the home was
heated by coal it needed 70 tons a year, but the Greenhouse needed 65 tons. It
wasn’t a big deal back when coal was $12 a ton, but with modern heating costs, it
became unreasonable. Between 1908 and 1927, the Greenhouse boiler needed
to be hand stoked periodically, even in the middle of the night. This was the
job of the head gardener. In 1927 the Congdons purchased an automatic stoker;
this also was the same year the GC was remodeled. But on January 15th, 1971,
the Greenhouse was terminated. Today you can see the old rooines on the
_______________________________________________
Ibid.
C M C, Glensheen Grounds Tour Manual, 18.
Ibid., 18.
Ibid., 18.
Ibid., 18.
Ibid., 18.
Ibid., 18.
Ibid., 8.
Ibid., 8, 18.
Ibid., 8.
Ibid., 8.
Ibid., 18.
Congdon Corporation, Letter to Bob Wyness, Termination of Greenhouse, 2nd oor closet near bathroom, North Carriage House,
Glensheen Archives.
The Tour Manual - Grounds | Page 72
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back of the GC where the Greenhouse connected to it. Also, the heating pipes
are still in the ground. Many spare parts that belonged to the Greenhouse are
still in existence today, such as panels of glass. We are lucky to have so many
great photos of the Greenhouse today. It’s the dream of many to reconstruct the
Greenhouse.
Tennis Court
Start at the staircase of the Tennis Court and lead them around the fencing towards
the Bowling Green.
The Tennis Court at Glensheen is a unique item itself. It was one of the few natural
red clay courts that are not made of synthetic materials in Minnesota today. Most
clay courts that are built in the present and the last 90 years are not all natural
clay courts. Clay courts, synthetic in particular, are staging a comeback though,
despite them being expensive and time consuming to maintain. The surface is
more forgiving than concrete, and they help prevent injury which helps provide an
additional level of safety and comfort for the player. Also, there is a nostalgic feel
to these clay courts. In 1909, fast dry clay courts were invented in England, and the
modern day concrete courts didn’t become popular for quite some time. But in
1908, this was a modern court. The downside to the court is how slow it takes to
dry after even a little rain and is the reason it needed to be attened daily. Most
US clay courts today are made of synthetic materials or are fast dry because of this
reason.
Tennis became formally a sport in 1873 as a lawn sport. Tennis comes from
the French sport “Real Tennis” which is similar to our tennis “Lawn Tennis” but is
indoors and setup more in a Racquetball/Tennis like environment. The name
“Tennis” comes from the French word “Tenez”. The modern tennis game we play
today, “Lawn Tennis”, was termed by Arthur Balfour back in the early 1900’s.
The Glensheen Tennis Court is in some need of repair. For example, the fencing
is broken in several sections throughout the court, and the retaining walls and
staircases are in dire need of repair. Still, the University is making headway; for
example, in 2004 they cleared the court of the massive eld of dandelions and
even held a short tournament. To this day, we still have the concrete roller that
was and is still used to atten the surface for playing. In 1904, the Congdons
purchased some tennis shoes for $1.25 and some laces for a nickel.
_______________________________________________
Sher Lind, interview by Daniel Hartman.
Ibid.
Andrew R. Lavalle, Clay Courts: What are they anyway?, XSPORTS, http://www.xsports.com/clay.html.
Ibid.
Cliff Richard, The History of Tennis, Planet Tennis, http://www.cliffrichardtennis.org/planet_tennis/history.htm.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Congdon Corporation, Letter to Bob Wyness, Termination of Greenhouse, 2nd oor
closet near bathroom, North Carriage House, Glensheen Archives.
The Tour Manual - Grounds | Page 73
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Bowling Green
You should be standing in the middle of the Bowling Green.
The term Bowling Green is dened as a eld of closely mowed turf for playing
Lawn Bowling. Lawn Bowling is an old lawn sport consisting of a jack and biased
wooden balls. The rules are similar to Bocce ball with the jack replacing the
smaller white ball used in Bocce. The object would be to throw the jack and then
try to throw the biased wooden balls as close as you can to the jack. The biased
wooden balls are not round but are curved balls, which make it very difcult to
anticipate rolls.
The Bowling Green at Glensheen originally was a very quiet and majestic
environment. It used to be one of the quieter sections of the property because
it was away from the waves of the lake and the owing creek water, which added
more background noise than you would assume. Today, it does not seem that quiet
because of the busy trafc on London Road, but it still manages that feeling of
isolation from the road. The road wasn’t as busy before because the automobile
was not a popular icon of transportation; originally, it would have been the sound
of horses and carriages.
At the far west end of the Bowling Green used to be a stone staircase down to
the Bent Brook London Road Bridge. None of the staircase is in existence today
due to the loose clay soil in this location and the near hundred years of aging. The
Bowling Green was used for other lawn sports as well by the Congdon family such
as Bocce Ball and Croquet. Today the Bowling Green is used still for lawn sports.
Bent Brook
You should be standing on the upper Bent Brook Bridge.
Bent Brook is one of two creeks that run alongside the home, the other is Tischer
Creek on the opposite side of the estate. Bent Brook is the smaller of the two.
During the construction years of the estate, soil was transported all over the
property to help grow the new trees planted on the estate. There was a worry that
all the new soil added to the estate might wash away because of the creek, so
they placed stones in concrete along the entire Bent Brook route on the property.
This solved the problem of runoff and created a unique, quick-owing creek. The
concrete needs to be repaired yearly, which can be a tough job. On a rainy day,
the creek ow will be tripled and wild. Also on a rainy day, the creek will carry so
much sediment from the soil that it will push the dirty brown sediment far into Lake
Superior, which can be easily seen from the beach.
_______________________________________________
Ask Jeeves, http://web.ask.com/web?q=what+is+a+bowling+green&qsrc=0&o=0
Tripod, The Rules of Lawn Bowling, http://wardw123.tripod.com/Physics/Rules.html
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Charles Leavitt (Landscape Architect), Glensheen Estate original design.
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On June 23rd 1952, the concrete walls couldn’t hold the water back from a
tremendous rainstorm that struck Duluth, and the result was 15,000 dollars
in damages to the estate. In under an hour, 1.9 inches of water fell upon
Duluth. It goes down as one of the worst storms in Duluth history. There was
unprecedented damage all over the city. The heavy rains overowed the top of the
concrete walls in Bent Brook and destroyed everything in its path. Water even
leaked into the basement of the home in the Recreation Room. The concrete
walls themselves were even destroyed. Because of the damage, the Congdons
hired an appraiser, Richard Northup. The only reason we know of this storm is
because we have his appraisal on record here at the Glensheen archives.
You will notice a wooden bridge that crosses Bent Brook. This is obviously a new
version, but this bridge has always been wooden. Sometimes the shifting ice in the
winter will move the bridge, and this maybe the reason it is wooden. That way it’s
easy to repair or inexpensive to build a new one if the winter was especially rough.
In the early days, this bridge was very rustic. It was comprised of small logs
of cedar and oak made into post and rails as we can tell from old photos. The
bridges made in the northern part of the West Trail System were of similar design
to this.
East Trail System
Start speaking at the east entrance of ETS and move towards the creek.
The East Trail System is one of two series of trails here at the Glensheen estate.
This set of trails is the less adventurous of the two, but also is possibly the more
relaxing. As you enter the East Trail System near the Rose Garden staircase, you
immediately walk into Bent Brook. You will notice the stone staircase down to the
creek. If you come down to the creek on a sunny day, you can walk up the creek
on the stones to the Bent Brook London Bridge Tunnel. In this immediate area, it’s
hard to imagine a more peaceful fall setting, with the creek water owing and the
colorful leaves falling into the creek. There used to be a trail on the east side of the
creek that met with a stone staircase from the Bowling Green which would lead
you into this peaceful environment. The University would like to place a small
table and chairs in this area to invite guests to enjoy its isolation and beauty.
_______________________________________________
Richard Northup, appraisal report of Glensheen estate, October 6, 1952. File name: Miscellaneous east Duluth lots trust u/w Chester A. Congdon,
Deceased, Large Envelope on top of Large le box, 2nd oor closet near elevator, 1.
Ibid.6.
“Cloudburst Causes Heave Loss Here”, Duluth News Tribune, June 24, 1952, sec. A.
Richard Northup, appraisal report of Glensheen estate, 7.
Ibid., 7.
Ibid., 6.
Ibid.
photo, Bent Brook Wooden Bridge, Digital Database of Glensheen Grounds Photos
Ibid.
Photos, two different Wooden Bridges in the Northern West Trail System, Digital Database of Glensheen Grounds Photos.
Charles Leavitt (Landscape Architect), Glensheen Estate original design.
Sher Lind, interview by Daniel Hartman.
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As you cross the creek, you enter into a small forest with a circular path that would
lead you directly to the front of the home. In the north side of this small forest is a
maintenance valve, which was part of the original construction of the estate. The
valve is connected to a holding tank; and the valve controls to where the reservoir
water system is allowed to ow. So if you wanted water to only ow to the Tennis
Court, you could do that here. Today, the University uses the city water so there is
no need for creek water from the reservoir system. The University in the future
would like to renovate the trails back to their original design and also repair the
reservoir lines so that the valve can be of use again.
West Gate Entrance/ Retaining Wall
Start speaking in the Court Entrance and move towards the West Gate.
In the early design of the estate, Mr. Leavitt decided to build an S curve driveway
at the West Gate Entrance to take advantage of the natural shape of the
landscape. This S curve also provided a more naturalistic touch that the landscape
designer was for which aiming. Since the driveway was built on a hill, they needed
to build a retaining wall to level it. The retaining wall is made of the same brick
as the home, and its design matches seamlessly. When builders constructed the
home, they dug out a tremendous amount of dirt and gravel. They used this
excess to build the driveway and retaining wall, which was sealed by the brick wall.
Alongside this 15 ft retaining wall is a staircase that leads down to the West Trail
System. Today the staircase could use some repair; but overall, it is in pretty good
shape. It is only roped off today because of the inherent danger of falling while
going through the West Trail System.
The forested area between London Road and the home has gone through different
cycles. In the early years of the home when Chester lived there, little brush existed
between the home and the road. Then around the time of George Wyness, brush
was grown, and the house was barely visible from the road. It stayed this way till
recently when the University gardening crew started cutting down the brush again
to make the home more visible from the road.
The West Gate Entrance is the main entry point of the estate while the East Gate
Entrance is designed to be used by the servants. It was even referred to as the
service drive in the early layout of the home. So the wealthy that would come to
visit Glensheen would enter through the West Gate Entrance. The carriages and
_______________________________________________
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Michael Lane, Construction Years, 6.
photo, undeveloped land between London Road and Entrance Court, Digital Database
of Glensheen Grounds Photos. Circa 1910.
photo, undeveloped land between London Road and Entrance Court, Digital Database of Glensheen Grounds Photos. Circa 1930.
Sher Lind, interview by Daniel Hartman.
Charles Leavitt (Landscape Architect), Glensheen Estate original design.
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automobiles usually would turn around in the Entrance Court in front of the home
and leave through the West Gate Entrance.
You should be standing at the West Gate.
The mouth of the West Gate Entrance near London Road is gated with steel
fencing and stylistic brick posts similar to the home, which stretch the entire length
of the Glensheen London Road distance. The immediate entrance is anked
on both sides by two larger, stylistic brick posts. The eastern brick post by the
entrance has the name Glensheen on the north side of the post. This fencing,
which is the most visible section of the estate from London Road, is in need of
much repair. The brick posts that hold up the steel fencing is falling apart all along
the way. The steel fencing itself has rusted and broken throughout as well.
North Side of the Home
You should be standing near the 1905 cornerstone.
Here is the stone that claries for you when the construction of the home began
in 1905. The construction of the home was busiest in the summer, because the
winters were so cold and snowy. The home took 45 months to complete with most
materials coming by train and unloading at Howard’s Crossing. So there were
more employees in summer than any other time. We are lucky enough to have the
pay logs of the construction workers. The construction supervisor was J.C. Bush,
who answered to Clarence Johnston for the construction of the exterior of the
home. William A. French company and its designer, John Bradstreet, worked on
the interior of the home. Charles Leavitt Jr, and his subordinates Anthony Morrell,
and Arthur Nichols worked on the design of the landscape, and nally all answered
to the demands of Chester Congdon. On a busy day, there would be up to 300
workers on the estate working 8-10 hour shifts a day. There were many different
specialty occupations utilized. There were bricklayers, electricians, carpenters,
masons, night watchmen, laborers, and plumbers. Bricklayers were paid the most
at 75 cents an hour and water boys were paid the least at 7 ½ cents an hour. The
peak year of construction was 1907. When the home was nally completed on
February 9th of 1909, it was at the total cost of $854,000, and was 27,000 square
feet, with 39 rooms, 15 bedrooms, and 15 replaces.
_______________________________________________
Michael Lane, Construction Years, 1
Ibid., 1.
J. C. Bush, Pay log, June 1906, 2nd oor closet near bathroom, north Carriage House, Glensheen Archives.
Michael Lane, Construction Years, 24.
Ibid., 24.
J. C. Bush, Pay log, 1905-9.
Rachel Martin, Glensheen House tour manual, Bring up tour, pg 2. 1998.
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Servants Porch and courtyard
You should be standing in the center of the Servants Courtyard.
In the initial layout of the home, this was and still is the Servants Porch and
Courtyard. Most mansions of this era would have sectioned off the living area of
the staff from the family, and this mansion was no different. The door on the front
side of the home near the 1905 cornerstone is the servant’s entrance door. If you
were a servant riding along with your boss on a trip to Glensheen, you would have
to enter through this door while your boss could enter the main front door to show
class distinctions. Generally speaking, the east side of the home is the servant’s
side. It is where you nd the Kitchen, Laundry Room, Milk Room, Boiler Room, Coal
Room, and the Servants Dining Room. So on the east side of the home, you have
the Servants Courtyard where they would dry laundry on the clothesline. Also the
Congdon doghouse was kept in the Servants Courtyard. The courtyard itself is
gated in three different directions.
The Servants Porch, which is connected to the home, is a unique place to sit and
relax after a long day’s work. We are sure the porch was utilized for relaxation in its
early days for now it is one of the most common places for the current staff to sit
back. Also the porch is an extension of the kitchen so it is, and was, used for many
practical purposes. On the wall of the porch is a small metal door that was used for
bringing ice blocks inside. This way the workers wouldn’t bring dirt into the kitchen
from their boots while bringing in the ice blocks. Also, there is a door right into
the kitchen from the porch, which was used for carrying food items and other such
necessities inside.
Today we don’t use the courtyard and porch for strictly servants, but rather it’s
open to the public to stroll through. All the steel gates of the courtyard are
generally always open. The University gardening crew has built a small garden
about where the clothesline used to be and another small garden right in front of
the east entrance of the courtyard. Generally, these are lled in with annuals such
as petunias and impatiens. Also, the exit door for all tours of the house is located
below the porch and all tours entering the house walk by the courtyard and porch.
So almost all tours today see both these areas. It is unlikely many guests would
have entered the home this way when the Congdons lived here. When caterers
and other outside businesses participate at Glensheen, they tend to park their
vehicles in the courtyard and unload their material from here. Either way, today the
courtyard and porch are still used for the servants of Glensheen, but also are now
open for the public to view.
Terrace
_______________________________________________
Charles Leavitt (Landscape Architect), Glensheen Estate original design.
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Gather the group around the Juliet Balcony.
Where the group is standing is called the Juliet Balcony and is one of the best
views on the estate. Surrounding the Juliet Balcony, there are two parts to the
terrace: the Upper Terrace where you are standing now and the Lower Terrace
right below you. The Upper Terrace reaches to the Green Room and then all the
way to the Living Room Porch. The Lower Terrace leads east towards the Servants
Courtyard or west towards the West Trail System entrance.
The Juliet Balcony was named by the University, because it’s a perfect location
for a romantic setting, and, therefore, reminded UMD of Shakespeare’s “Romeo
and Juliet”. Of course, this is a great location for a wedding, and there have been
many different weddings at Glensheen through the years. Robert Congdon,
the youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. Congdon, was married on the grounds of
Glensheen; and today almost every summer weekend is booked with a wedding at
Glensheen. And, of course, the perfect location is the Juliet Balcony with the bridal
party owing down the corresponding staircases. We know it to be one of more
common locations for the Congdons to take photos. We have a fabulous photo of
all the Congdon children sitting at the Juliet Balcony.
Move the group to the entrance of West Porch.
The porch was built to be open, half outside, half inside. The room is located right
near a rock bluff alongside Tischer Creek; and on any summer day, the sound of
the creek owing is easily heard. The view and sound of the creek provides a very
majestic, relaxing scene, a location Chester Congdon himself enjoyed. It is known
that Chester Congdon would sit, read his newspaper, and eat breakfast in this
place.
You should be standing by the main center door.
The Upper Terrace’s focal point is the main south door, which is at the center of
the terrace and mansion. The family is said to consider both the north and south
doors to be the front doors. This maybe true because many of the early guests may
have come by boat and would enter the home through the south door. The large
main door is made of oak. Its frame has many Neo-Classical themes and is made of
Vermont granite.
The Lower Terrace is more of a transition between the Upper Terrace and Formal
Garden but still acts as peaceful place of meditation that many guests use today.
It has the grass and trees of the Formal Garden but the brick ooring that is
common on the terrace. It is from the Lower Terrace that you can see into the
_______________________________________________
photo, Congdon Children, Digital Database of Glensheen Grounds Photos.
photo, Chester in Living Room Porch, Digital Database of Glensheen Grounds Photos.
Michael Lane, Letter acknowledging possibility of Vermont Granite at Glensheen, ofcial in Vermont, 2nd oor closet near bathroom, North Carriage
House, Glensheen Archives
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Winter Garden of the home. The Winter Garden is a unique room, but we don’t
know much about it. The Winter Garden was always unheated until the University
acquired Glensheen. Today, it is used to hold dinners and conferences and is the
largest room in the house. It is picked for many wedding receptions because it is
the length of the home and was recently renovated for that purpose. The west side
of the Lower Terrace has a staircase that leads down to the West Trail System. The
most common staircases used by guests of the Glensheen are the two staircases
that lead into the Formal Garden.
Formal Garden
You should bring the group near the fountain.
The Formal Garden architecturally is an extension of the Jacobean revival design
of the home and has 10 ower plots, one grass plot, a fountain, and a pool. On
each side of the Formal Garden are two extended wings with granite benches.
On the north and south side of the Formal Garden lie two large garden plots both
dominated by the existence of 9 ft tall colorful delphiniums that have graced the
estate for more than 70 years. These are not the same ones, but rather they are
in same location. In the far north plot alongside the brick wall grows clematis, a
beautiful vine that has bright purple or blue owers in late-mid summer. On the
north side of the pool is a grass plot that is today used for seating for weddings
and other events. The focal point of the formal garden is the fountain and pool.
The pool was lled with creek water from the water reservoir located up in
northern section of the West Trail System and was lled with lily pads and goldsh.
The lily pad was one of Chester Congdon’s favorite owers. The color of the pool
was initially the color of the granite that frames the pool; but in the summer of
2004, it was painted a more vibrant blue. In the early days of the pool, it was used
for swimming. We have found at least one photo of the family swimming in the
pool. In the southeast side of the pool is the drain. Today, the University invites
anyone to throw change into the pool for good luck. The change will go towards
restoring the grounds of Glensheen.
The fountain of Glensheen is not the rst, nor the second, fountain installed at
Glensheen, but rather the third. The rst fountain installed at Glensheen was not
a fountain but a series of fountains that shot out from all different angles from the
sides of the pool. This initial design worked but rusted out quickly and was soon
replaced. The second fountain was a large central fountain that gushed into
the sky from the center of the pool. The third, and lasting, fountain was the one
sculpted by George Thrana in 1913. George Thrana was a famous local master
stone carver who carved many of the buildings in and around Duluth. Some of the
_______________________________________________
C M C, Glensheen Grounds Tour Manual, 6
photos, Delphiniums from circa 1930 to 2004, C M C, Digital Database of Glensheen Grounds Photos.
photo, kids in pool, Digital Database of Glensheen Grounds Photos. Circa 1910.
photo, 1st fountain, Digital Database of Glensheen Grounds Photos.
C M C, Glensheen Grounds Tour Manual, 24
photo, 2nd fountain, Digital Database of Glensheen Grounds Photos.
C M C, Glensheen Grounds Tour Manual, 23
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more famous buildings are the Lyceum Theatre, Central High School, and Denfeld
High School. George Thrana immigrated to Duluth from Norway in 1889, where
he had been trained as a stone carver. His exceptional talent is well showcased
in this fountain. George Thrana’s son remembers his father installing the fountain
because he remembers delivering his father’s lunch to him. The water for the
fountain was originally from the creek; and if all the lines were let wide open to the
fountain it would shoot 75 feet in the air.
The Formal Garden, like the rest of the grounds, has gone through several
planting transformations. In its early stages, it was more exotic and almost
classically fashioned. All the annual owers were rst grown in the Greenhouse and
then transplanted to the Formal Garden. In the age of George Wyness, the gardens
may have begun the transfer. This transfer could have occurred before George,
but we have no photos to prove the earlier existence of this transformation. The
owers and overall gardening went from a more ornate classical development to
a more plush, and almost overwhelming, look. Some speculate that the change is
less due to George Wyness and more to do with the death of Chester Congdon in
1916. Chester, in the years before his death, began a keen interest in gardening
and landscaping with special attention to trees and paths instead of owers. It
seems that after his death, many sections of Glensheen seemed to be of less
interest to Mrs. Congdon and were given less, if any, attention. But it seems Mrs.
Congdon did care maybe more than Chester about the owers of Glensheen,
which may explain the growth in owers on the estate. Today, the University
gardening crew follow the model set by Bob Wyness, the son of George; and it is
probably similar to George’s initial designs. So the current grounds plant layout
has followed more along the lines of Clara’s wants in the 1930s instead of Chester
ideals in the early 1910s. But in 2005, the University gardening crew combined
two 1916 Leavitt plant layouts for the Formal Garden, once again bringing forward
Chester and Leavitt’s vision.
South Side of the Home
Stand at the junction of the Stone path and the tarred lake path.
This is one of the best locations for photos of the home, so take advantage
of scenery while you can. When the home was completed, this entire area was
covered in trees and brush to seclude the view of the home from the lake. This
stone path was a trail down to the lake, where now it seems there is a stone path
alongside an open yard. In 1942, George Wyness cleared away the trees and brush
that used to make up the south yard to open the view of the lake from the home.
_______________________________________________
C M C, Glensheen Grounds Tour Manual, 23
Sheldon T. Aubut and Maryanne C. Norton, Images of America Duluth Minnesota (Chicago: Arcadia, 2001), 42 -43,54, 85.
Ibid., 43.
Miscellaneous correspondence, son of George Thrana, 2nd oor closet near bathroom, North Carriage House, Glensheen Archives.
C M C, Glensheen Grounds Tour Manual, 22.
Sher Lind, interview by Daniel Hartman
C M C, Glensheen Grounds Tour Manual, 8.
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The fact that boating declined dramatically from the early times of the home
helped their decision to open the area up. This location is one of three must-see
locations for photographers. The rst one is the view from the Upper Terrace, the
second is from here, and the third is from the Stone Bridge.
Stone Bridge
You should be standing in the center of the Stone Bridge.
There is no other location on the grounds of the estate more photographed by the
Congdons than the Stone Bridge over Tischer Creek. The Congdons cherished the
Stone Bridge so much that they had postcards made of the Stone Bridge with the
home in the background. Also, the Congdons had printed these square paper
prints of the Stone Bridge and the home, which they would seal to the inside cover
of their books. Today, when weddings are held at Glensheen, it is very common
for the wedding party or at least the bride and groom to take photos on the Stone
Bridge. Also, in early spring, it is a great place to come and watch sh in Tischer
Creek down below.
Tischer Creek is only called Tischer on the Glensheen Estate. Once the creek is
off the estate, it is referred to by locals as Congdon Creek, technically it is Tischer
Creek though. The Creek itself begins somewhere near the UMD campus. In the
early spring, many sherman can be found at the mouth of Tischer, even though
Glensheen is private property. It is not uncommon to see fairly large sh swimming
around in the creek.
West Trail System / North West Trail System
Start walking towards the Outlook from the West end of the Stone Bridge.
One of the main differences between the grounds today and after the completion
of the estate in 1908 is the condition of the West Trail System. In the original
design of the estate, there was a series of trails alongside Tischer creek. They
started near the mouth of the creek and followed up to Superior Street. These
trails were beaten dirt paths that at sections were solidied in rock and cement.
All the staircases were made of a mix of cut stones and cement. This is the same
material used at the connecting Congdon Creek Park that begins after Superior
Street. Throughout the West Trail System, there were more than 15 staircases, 2
miles of trails, and possibly more than 4 bridges across the Tischer Creek. Once
again, these trails were more important, it seems, to Chester than Clara, because
shortly after his death, the condition of the trails diminished. At the time the home
was designed and completed, hiking trails were a new, popular phenomenon. The
eccentric US President Theodore Roosevelt spearheaded this adventurous trend.
_______________________________________________
photo, Postcard of Glensheen, Digital Database of Glensheen Grounds Photos. Circa 1920.
sketch of Glensheen estate, small square printed sketch, circa 1910.
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President Roosevelt is the president best known for conserving vast tracts of land.
He was also very well known for his many wild and crazy adventures. He may not
have represented the average American male well, but he represented what most
American males wanted to be in the turn of the century.
You should be standing in the Outlook.
The West Trail System begins with the Outlook. The Outlook was a concrete and
stone pavilion that overlooked Lake Superior. It was built on a rock bluff on the
shore of the lake. It is about 20 feet high from lake level and provides one of the
best panoramic views of the lake. From the Outlook looking westward, you can
see the Aerial Lift Bridge of Duluth, and eastward you can see the endless jagged
lakeshore of Lake Superior. Not much is known about the Outlook because we
have zero photos or blueprints of it. And we have very little written documentation.
But still today there are fragments of the early structure, so we know it was built
and of what. We know its basic shape because it is in the early grounds layout
design, but without much detail.
The dam at the mouth of Tischer Creek does not exist today, but you can easily
understand why they would have built it. The dam was built to build up enough
water for a swimming hole for the family. The reason the Congdons would
rather swim in the creek than the lake was two-fold. First, Lake Superior’s water
temperature is bitterly cold almost year round. Second, the sewage from the
house poured directly into the lake out of a pipe from the end of the pier. The
pump room in the Boathouse today was originally used as shower facility for after
swimming. This is why the room is lined in white tile similar to the bathrooms in
the mansion. Today, Glensheen uses a modern sewage system, so today it is not
uncommon for staff to go swimming after work in the summer in the Lake. But
today few people ever swim in the creek because it is too shallow.
The original location for the Boathouse, according to the 1904 plan, was alongside
Tischer creek, but there was too much movement from Tischer Creek so the
Boathouse location was adjusted to t alongside Bent Brook.
Begin walking back towards the Stone Bridge.
The retaining walls you see today on the south west side of Tischer were probably
not part of the original design, but later put in to help slow down the erosion of
the west bank. At the bottom of the retaining wall could possibly be a walking path
right alongside the creek. This path looks similar to the concrete path that follows
underneath the Tischer Creek London Road Bridge. So it is possible that the
retaining wall was built at the same time that the concrete path under the bridge
_______________________________________________
Charles Leavitt (Landscape Architect), Glensheen Estate original design.
Sher Lind, interview by Daniel Hartman.
C M C, Glensheen Grounds Tour Manual, 20.
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was constructed. It’s puzzling because certain sections of potential walkway are
underwater, but barely. It is possible that at the time the walkway was constructed,
the water level was lower.
Walk to view of TCLR Bridge.
There is a trail from the Outlook to the Stone Bridge but then it splits with one trail
leading west towards the Scandinavian cemetery and the other continues north
toward a broken up stone staircase. This broken staircase leads down toward the
water level of the creek. In front of the TCLR Bridge used to be a stepping stone
bridge across the creek. We have a photo of a Congdon sitting and another
walking across the stones.
The concrete path under the TCLR bridge leads you into northern section of the
West Trail System while the stone staircase alongside the east bank leads you
into the trail system on the east side of Tischer. Within these trails are 3-5 stone
staircases. Some are very little; others are fairly large, such as the staircase leading
down from near the Formal Garden down toward the midway path. This midway
path is built about ten feet above the level of Tischer and leads back to the
stepping-stones or the West Gate Entrance retaining wall brick staircase. The West
Trail System is not an easy trail system to walk on and at points, is quite dangerous,
especially today considering most staircases have deteriorated. It is also fairly
difcult to walk through because of its many staircases up and down the banks of
Tischer, especially if you follow it all the way up through the north section of the
West trail system. This may be an additional reason why Mrs. Congdon seemed to
not care about the condition of the trail system, considering her age at the time of
Chester’s death.
The Congdon Creek/ Northern West trail system
If you were to follow the concrete path under TCLR Bridge, you would enter into the
other half of the West Trail System.
This northern section contained the reservoir, the Swiss Chalet, the northern dam,
the apple orchard, up to two wooden bridges, and the pavilion over the intake
well. This area, like the South West Trail System, slowly deteriorated at probably the
same pace.
The reservoir system was located in the center of Tischer Creek and could hold
60,000 gallons of water. The lter chamber that is located immediately next to
the reservoir is lled with sand, gravel, and leaves which is meant to be a natural
_______________________________________________
photo, Stepping stones across Tischer Creek in the Southern West Trail System, Digital Database of Glensheen Grounds Photos,
circa 1910.
C M C, Glensheen Grounds Tour Manual, 21
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way of ltering the water of impurities. The lter system as of today is still in good
working order. The reservoir itself has a 25 ft radius. The vacuum system in the
home was powered by the water reservoir. There was a propeller in the mass
coil room that would be turned by the water coming down hill from the reservoir.
This helped the humidier system pump moist air throughout the home. The
reservoir used a gravity pressure system to pump water down to the irrigation and
fountain lines on the estate.
Reservoir water was fed downhill through a ten-inch water main that cost an
estimated $5,200 in 1908. The water went into the home, the fountain, and the
20 or so water spigots around the estate. In the early days of the estate, this
provided the grounds with local uncontaminated water that is better for plants on
the estate than the chlorinated city water. Today, the ten-inch water main and
the irrigation system is in need of repair and doesn’t function quite the same as it
had in the past. The current head gardener of Glensheen would like to repair the
irrigation system so that they once again can water the plants and the grounds
with the natural creek water instead of the chlorinated city water. Also, it would
make available many more convenient water spigots. Today, there are only two
functioning water spigots used by the Grounds crew. One is located in the East
Servants Courtyard, and the other is located near the Gardener’s Cottage, so you
can see the need for the old irrigation system.
One of the mysteries of the NWTS is the existence of the Swiss Chalet on top of
the reservoir. Charles Leavitt sent blueprints for a Swiss Chalet to be built on
top of the reservoir, and we have slips and a letter with the estimated costs of this
possible little guest house. But today there is no material existence of the Swiss
Chalet. But if it did exist, this would be an almost perfect location for a couple
to sit back and relax, surrounded by the creek and the forest. The location sits
inside a narrow valley and is hidden away from the normal bustle of city life. From
this location, you would have no idea that you were surrounded on both sides
by homes. Even today, this location provides a level of calm that is unheard of
anywhere else on the estate.
Further up the creek past the Swiss Chalet site is the dam that stops the creek to
_______________________________________________
Sher Lind, interview by Daniel Hartman.
Ibid.
C M C, Glensheen Grounds Tour Manual, 3.
Ibid., 4.
Ibid., 4.
Ibid., 4.
Ibid., 4.
H. Thomas, estimate cost of reservoir system, May 24, 1907. File 302b Glensheen agreement 1/15/1907 with city of Duluth covering dam across
Tischer’s Creek, etc. Large File Box, Closet near elevator.
Sher Lind, interview by Daniel Hartman.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Charles Leavitt (Landscape designer), blueprint of Swiss Chalet, Digital Database of Glensheen Grounds Photos. 1908.
Charles Leavitt Jr. (Landscape Designer), letter to Chester Congdon, October 5
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ow through the water reservoir. Right next to the dam that cost an estimated $350
in 1908 is a small round brick structure similar to a small tower called an intake
well. Leavitt had sent blueprint plans of a small round pavilion to be placed
on the top of this intake well. Once again there is no sign of its existence today,
but we know from the blueprints and a letter that the materials to build it could
have easily deteriorated by today. For example, the roof was to be built with straw
thatch. Once again, though, this small pavilion would have added even more to
the naturalistic landscaping of the estate. It was something that did not take away
from the natural surroundings, but complimented them.
Up the west bank of Tischer Creek leads you to the Congdon Orchard. The
orchard used to contain 59 trees in 1909 and was one of Mr. Congdon’s favorite
pet projects. The orchard had Apple, Crab Apple, Pear, Plum and Cherry
Trees. Before Mr. Congdon started building his orchard, he had sent letters all
around the city of Duluth looking for recommendations on growing fruit trees.
He wanted to know the length of the season, and what type of fruit trees grow
well. At one point, Mr. Congdon had written to a Duluth insurance agent, E.C.
Little, who recommended that Mr. Congdon contact one of his friends, L.P. Hall,
living in Deerwood, Minnesota, who was a regional expert at growing apples in
Duluth before he moved. Mr. Congdon’s interest is well-represented by him
spending thousands of dollars on an apple orchard in Washington. Later this large
Washington apple orchard would produce apple juice for the Treetop Apple
Juice Company. Mr. Congdon also built a vacation home in Yakima, Washington,
called Westhome, which was modeled after a castle in Great Britain. It was 42,000
square feet compared to the 27,000 square foot home at Glensheen.
If you were to walk through the trails, you could have possibly walked across two
wooden bridges and multiple stone staircases. When the trails and bridges
were completed, they cost Mr. Congdon $971.21. The NWTS is more difcult
and longer than the SWTS but very little is known because today it is in absolute
disarray. Neither wood bridge exists today, and only chunks of the stone staircases
exist. We know of the two bridges only because of photos taken in the early
days of the home and some historical data. But the views in NWTS are more
spectacular and breathtaking than the SWTS and well worth the hike. Some of the
_______________________________________________
H. Thomas, estimate cost of reservoir system.
Charles Leavitt (Landscape designer), blueprint of Pavilion, Digital Database of Glensheen Grounds Photos. 1908.
Charles Leavitt Jr. (Landscape Designer), letter to Chester Congdon.
Dan Mcclelland, Glensheen Estate Orchard (former Congdon Orchard), 1990.
Ibid.
John Norton (county attorney of St. Louis), Fruit tree recommendations, June 25, 1910, Digital Database of Glensheen grounds
photos.
E.C. Little, recommendation of what to grow in Duluth to Chester, July 5, 1910, Digital Database of Glensheen grounds photos.
Dick Charley (Treetop, grower distribution contact), phone interviewed by Daniel Hartman, March 22, 2005.
Westhome le, closet near bathroom, 2nd oor, North Carriage House, Glensheen Archives.
photos, two wooden bridges in the Northern West Trail System, Digital Database of Glensheen Grounds Photos, circa 1915.
Anthony Morrell, bill to Chester A. Congdon for North West Trail System paths and bridges.
photos, two wooden bridges in the Northern West Trail System.
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rock bluffs carved by the creek are 60 feet high on both sides. The University has a
long-term plan of reconstructing the entire West Trail System so that it would lead
right to Congdon Creek Park like it did in 1908. This would provide over 5 miles
of hiking alongside one of the most breathtaking creeks in Duluth and return the
Glensheen estate to the more naturalistic and adventurous setting it was meant to
be.
Lakeshore
Begin standing at the Shelter and eventually walk towards hidden staircase.
The Shelter was a project initiated by Elizabeth when she was young. The legend
goes that Elizabeth began building it herself; and when Chester saw this, he paid
the Gardener to build it for her. Later on, this would be one of Elizabeth’s favorite
places to sketch.
Lake Superior was created because of volcanic activity and at one point was
covered by a Glacier. When the Glacier receded, Glacial Lake formed. The
shoreline of Glacial Lake would be where the Skyline drive is today.
The Lakeshore of Glensheen has undergone different transitions that match the
changes of the Lake. In its initial state, it was similar to how it looks today, but
the shoreline was closer to the home. But probably sometime in the 1930s, the
water level of the lake dropped drastically. It dropped to a level so dramatic that
the Congdons had built a stone staircase leading down to the lake. Today this
staircase is covered in beach rocks and can only be found after digging through
them.
This plot of land may have been picked also because there is a larger beach with
no rock bluff in the front of the home. Leavitt may also have leveled the beach
more to produce a smoother rolling beachfront than had existed before.
Boathouse/ Pier
Bring the group to north side of the Boathouse and eventually lead them to the Pier.
When the Boathouse and Pier location was nally decided, construction began
on September 6th 1906. Construction on the Boathouse was no easy operation
because of the freezing cold waters. Large concrete slabs were dropped in timber
_______________________________________________
Sher Lind, interview by Daniel Hartman.
Judy Vick, “A Palace Called Glensheen.”, 34.
Ibid., 34.
Ibid., 34.
Phil Hammer (former Landscape Gardener of Glensheen), Glensheen Gardens and Grounds, August 1997, 1.
Ibid.,1.
Ibid.,1.
photo, hidden staircase on lakeshore, Digital Database of Glensheen Grounds Photos, circa 1930.
Michael Lane, Construction Years, 13.
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cribs made of hemlock, which would be the foundation of the Pier. The rock
needed for the Pier construction came from Engle’s quarry. These timber cribs
can still be seen today on a still day. The original length of the pier went out in
the water an estimated thirty feet further and turned right for a hundred feet. So
the original pier was in the shape of an L. This L shape provided a breakwater for
boats and yachts to ow smoothly into the Boathouse. Today there is no L because
the waves of Lake Superior have destroyed it; and because the L was broken, the
boathouse has been landlocked by rocks washing ashore.
The Boathouse probably stored sailboats that were purchased before the home
was constructed originally, but later, with the purchase of the Hesperia in 1911,
were placed elsewhere. The Hesperia was a registered yacht in Lloyd’s register
of American yachts in 1911. designer was Morris M. Whitaker, and it was built in
Bath Marine Construction Company in Bath, Maine. It had a four-stroke, six-cycle
gasoline engine. It arrived at the Glensheen estate July 22 1911 from Maine, and
it was 53 feet by 12 feet. The Congdon family yacht was a favorite pleasure of the
family. But tragedy struck the Hesperia in 1916. While refueling the Hesperia, it set
on re by accident so it was sent up to Two Harbors for repair but never returned.
The Congdons eventually sold the hull for $300.00.
The Boathouse itself is the only building on the Glensheen estate made of
large stones and has only a hundred less feet of square footage than the GC.
The retracting wall in the front of the Boathouse no longer retracts. When the
Boathouse was still in good shape, the family would play shufeboard on the
roof. The family used the Boathouse to store rowboats after it was landlocked.
The staircase on the northern side is in disarray today. The roof of the Boathouse
was layered in ne arts tile. Today, some of the tile still exists but only because
of the garden that had grown on the top of the Boathouse. In the summer of
2003, a full-grown Lilac tree ourished on the roof of the Boathouse. The inside
of the Boathouse used to be another unique item of the estate; but after it was
landlocked, the family seemed to stop caring. The shower room was turned into
the pump room or engine room. In the landlocked pool of the Boathouse is a
diving bell, that had resided there long before the University owned the property.
Since the University took over the estate, very little has been done to the inside of
the Boathouse.
_______________________________________________
Ibid., 18.
Ibid., 13.
Poor sketch of Pier, delicate cheap paper, closet near bathroom, 2nd oor, North Carriage House, Glensheen Archives.
C M C, Glensheen Grounds Tour Manual, 20.
Ibid., 20.
Ibid., 20.
Ibid., 20.
Ibid., 20.
Miscellaneous Correspondence, Sold hull of Hesperia for 300.00, 2nd oor closet near bathroom, North Carriage House, Glensheen
Archives.
Dan McClelland, room footage chart.
Robert J. Reichert, Utilization Study for Glensheen Final Report, September 1978.
Sher Lind, Interviewed by Daniel Hartman.
The Tour Manual - Grounds | Page 88
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One of the unique stories involving the Boathouse revolves around the wedding of
Robert Congdon. It is said that for Robert’s wedding, they set Chinese lanterns all
around the Boathouse and yard. In addition, they had an orchestra play on the roof
of the boathouse to an audience on the pier and in the yard. From photos we have
found, we know that there was electrical wiring all around the boathouse, so the
Chinese lanterns were a denite possibility and the roof of the Boathouse would
still be ideal for a band.
In recent years, the roof of the Boathouse has been cleared off better than it has in
over probably 30 years. The University plans on xing up the roof of the Boathouse
so that bands can once again play on the roof. They also want to set up the inside
of the Boathouse so that tour groups can partially walk in and see the inside. One
of the local museums in Duluth has offered Glensheen money for their diving bell
so that may be transported elsewhere or be used as an historic piece on site.
You should be standing on the Pier.
The Pier itself was broken up long before the 1950s, but before then, it was listed
in maps of Lake Superior because of the Pier and Dock lights. In the corner of
the L was a concrete seat. And at the entrance of the Boathouse was another wall
of concrete to fasten the yacht to before going into the Boathouse. The Pier today
is one of the more visited ground’s landmarks in the summer, and its view of Lake
Superior rivals only the Outlook.
Carriage House Yard
Move the group to the center of the Carriage House Yard.
Well, congratulations you made it this far. This is the last stop on the Glensheen
estate tour and the quickest one. The Carriage House itself is part of the self-
guided section of the tour so feel free to roam through it. When Glensheen rst
became the property of the University, they planned on converting the estate
into a conference center for advanced studies. With the occurrence of a specic
event and unexpected additional costs for the home, the University decided to
move towards a mix plan, one that included conferences and tours of the estate.
Part of the initial plan was to convert the second oor of the Carriage House to
hotel rooms and to convert the Sleigh and Carriage Room into a conference room.
This may come up sometime in the future, but it doesn’t look to be happening
anytime soon.
_______________________________________________
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Richard Northup, appraisal report of Glensheen estate, 6.
C M C, Glensheen Grounds Tour Manual, 20.
Poor sketch of Pier, delicate cheap paper, closet near bathroom.
Robert J. Reichert, Utilization Study for Glensheen Final Report, September 1978, 1.
Ibid., 1.
Ibid., 77-88.
The Tour Manual - Grounds | Page 89
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The Carriage House Yard had a paddock for the cows and horses located today
near where the large cottonwood trees are today. A paddock was a pen where
racehorses are saddled and paraded before a race. The paddock fence was to
be made of green posts with white paneling that cost $337.51. It was outlined in
a sketch from Leavitt in July of 1908. These Green posts would eventually be the
reason that Glensheen would be associated with the color Green.
_______________________________________________
Charles Leavitt (Landscape Architect), Glensheen Estate original design.
Ask Jeeves, http://web.ask.com/web?q=what+is+a+paddock&qsrc=0&o=0.
Charles Leavitt (Landscape Designer), invoice to Chester about Carriage House Yard Paddock, August 31, 1908.
photo, Blueprint of Carriage House Yard Paddock, Digital Database of Glensheen Grounds Photos. July 1908.
The Tour Manual - Grounds | Page 90
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Timelines
Congdon Family Timeline
1853: - Chester Adgate Congdon born 12 June, Rochester, New York,
to Methodist minister Sylvester Laurentius Congdon and Laura Jane
Adgate Congdon.
1854: - Clara Hesperia Bannister born 29 April, San Francisco, California, to
Methodist Minister Edward Bannister and Elizabeth Bannister.
- Congdon’s move to Syracuse, New York, where Sylvester took on a
larger Congregation.
1871: - Chester and Clara began freshman year at Syracuse University.
1874: - Chester teaches in Morristown, New Jersey.
1875: - Chester and Clara graduate Syracuse rst four year degree program.
- Chester A.B. degree Clara B.S. degree.
- Chester “reads law” and is tutored at rm of Hiscock, Gifford, and
Doheny in Syracuse 1875-77.
1876: - Clara Assistant Preceptress of Alexandra College, Bellville, Ont.,
1876-78.
1877: - Chester is admitted to New York Bar to practice law.
1878: - Clara becomes Teacher of Art and Modern Languages in Wyoming
Seminary, Kingston, Penn., 1878-81.
- Chester became Principal of the Second Ward High School in
Chippewa Falls Wisconsin 1878-79.
1880: - Chester admitted to Minnesota Bar.
- Accepted to rm of Pierce, Stephenson, and Mainzer.
1881: - Chester and Clara marry after 6 year engagement in Syracuse, New
York, then start a life together in St. Paul, Minnesota.
- Through practice Chester meets W.W. Billson U.S. Attorney for
Minnesota, Billson asked Congdon for help with several cases and
recommended Congdonreceive appointment as Assistant U.S.
Attorney for Minnesota.
1881-82: During this time, the Congdons lived between minneapolis and St.
Paul, Minnesota and moved several times to accommodate a
growing family.
1882: - Congdon’s’ rst child, Walter Bannister Congdon, was born.
1883: - Clara noted in her diary that in Minneapolis she and Chester saw an
electric street lamp.
1885: - Edward Congdon was born.
1886: - Chester resigns as Asst. U.S. Attorney and returned to private
practice.
1887: - Marjorie Congdon was born.
Ontario Land Corporation created and venture at Grays Harbor
The Tour Manual - Timelines | Page 91
begins.
1889: - Helen Congdon was born.
During travels west Chest purchases land in Yakima, Washington.
1891: - John Adgate Congdon born
1892: - Chester was invited to join Billson’s Private practice in Duluth.
Henry Oliver employs Congdon as legal counsel for Minnesota.
1894: - Elisabeth Mannering Congdon born
1898: - Robert Congdon born
1901: - Oliver sells last portion of Oliver Mining Company to U.S. Steel.
Oliver and Congdon form Chemung Iron Mining Company.
1903: - Chester Congdon becomes a member of the Duluth Charter
Commision.
1909: - Chester elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives
1915: - Chester donated funds for a Lakeshore Boulevard from Lester Park to
Two Harbors.
Duluth Timeline 1874-1915
1874: - Charlemagne Tower creates Duluth & Iron Range Railroad (D&IR).
1881: - Duluth streetcars operated by the Duluth Street Railway Company
1882: - Duluth Phone Company was founded and rst Phone directory was
issued.
The rst electricity for lighting and power became available.
1883: - Duluth Herald rst published.
Kitchi Gammi Club founded.
1884: - Board of health established.
First ore from Vermillion Ranges Soudan mine arrived in Two Harbors
to be loaded onto boats and shipped east to Chicago, Cleveland,
and Pittsburgh.
1885: - The Duluth Boat Club was founded.
A connecting railroad link between Duluth and Two Harbors was
completed.
Incandescent lights installed in some municipal buildings.
1886: - Duluth economy begins to ourish after its decline in 1873.
Population appx. 35,000
Lumber is the major industry.
Steel ships over 300 feet in length were making an appearance to
transport iron ore.
1887: - First National Bank and Saint Louis County Bank established
Board of Public Works established
1889: - Guilford G. & Caroline Hartley had the rst home in Duluth wired for
electricity in 1889.
Duluth’s bloodiest labor strike
The Tour Manual - Timelines | Page 92
1890: - First electric street cars
1892: - Merritt Brothers Incorporate Duluth, Missabe and North Railroad
(DM&N)
1892: - Duluth has approximately 50,000 residents in addition to that 41
churches, 34 schools and over 100 saloons.
Central High School completed.
Congdon Family moves to Duluth.
The Union Depot is constructed 506 West Michigan St.
1893: - Duluth and Superior connected via telephone
Lake Superior Consolidated Mines created by Rockefeller and Merritt
merger
DM&N Railroad expands track to Duluth and creates rst St. Louis
Bay ore dock in Duluth at 34th Avenue West.
Duluth manages to make it through 1893 national economic panic
on its grain, timber and iron trade.
1894: - Curling and bicycle rink constructed on First Street at Third Avenue
East
Northland Country Club under construction
St. Mary’s Hospital moved to Fifth and Third Streets the new facility
accommodated 300 patients with the best in “modern hospital
science”.
The Northwest an exclusively passenger steamer line travels from
Buffalo to Duluth it could carry up to 400 passengers.
DM&N Railroad is acquired by John D. Rockefeller
Thirty-two mills employed 7,700 in Duluth and Superior — and more
mills operated along the western Lake Superior shores
1896: - River and Harbor Act by U.S. Congress unites Duluth and Superior
Harbors.
1897: - 1,155 telephone customers in Superior and Duluth
1899: - President McKinley visits Duluth
1900: - Duluth’s Population: 52,869
Lighthouse construction begins
Population of Italians, Germans, Turks, and Russians takes a
signicant leap upward
1902: - Lumber peaks when 443 million board feet were produced
Duluth Ski Club organized
Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) established.
The Commercial Club membership over 1,200 local businessmen.
1903: - First Trans-Pacic cablegram received in Duluth
1904-07: Duluth Scandinavia Socialist Local established
1905: - City fathers make the oft-repeated claim that Duluth had “more
millionaires per capita than anywhere else in the U.S.” (please
see note)
The Great Northern Power Company constructed the Thomson Dam,
_______________________________________________
A claim that was not quantiably true and used to market the city and its abundance of “wealth”
The Tour Manual - Timelines | Page 93
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bringing an abundance of electricity to town.
Aerial Transfer Bridge Built would take passengers across for 5 cents
round trip.
1906: - First successful car trip from Minneapolis to Duluth completed in 17
hours and 15 minutes.
1907: - Duluth overcame New York in tonnage that moved through the
harbor Morgan Park is created, a company town designated for U.S.
Steel “Duluth Works”plant.
1910: - More than 78,000 documented people live within the borders of
Duluth U.S. Steel “Duluth Works” plant construction begins.
East Superior Street lighted by electric bulbs.
Alworth Building constructed and is tallest building in the state at 16
stories.
Duluth’s Women’s’ Club founded
Soo Line Depot built 7th Ave. West
1913: - Ore-dock strike: Superior workers strike for improved safety
standards and Duluth workers follow in solidarity.
1915: - U.S. Steel “Duluth Works” plant construction is complete
National Timeline
1900: - Gold Standard Act.
1901: - Platt Amendment limited autonomy of Cuba and made it a
protectorate
1902: - Cuba gained independence
Panama breaks from Columbia and is recognized by Theodore
Roosevelt
1903: - Panama Canal Treaty signed
1906: - Air Conditioner Patented
Antiquities Act
1907: - Bankers Panic, also known as Knickerbocker Crisis
NYSE plunged up to 50% from previous year.
1909: - Formation of NAACP
1910: - U.S. census population 92,228,496
First domestic tourism to Glacier National Park
Bureau of Mines authorized by Congress
Standard Oil deemed unreasonable monopoly and dissolved under
Sherman Antitrust Act.
1912: - Woodrow Wilson Elected President
1913: - 16th Amendment ratied income tax.
Congress establishes federal reserve system.
1914: - Basic wage rate: Ford Motor Co. $5 per day for 8 hours work
compared to national rate of 2.40 for 9 hours, still no mandatory
The Tour Manual - Timelines | Page 94
minimum wage in U.S.
The Great War begins, U.S. remains neutral
1915: - First transnational telephone conversation between New York City
and San Francisco
Lusitania sunk by German torpedo
1916: - Wilson signs into law National Park Service
The Tour Manual - Timelines | Page 95
Oliver Mining Company
(History 1892-1901)
In 1892, Andrew Carnegie, the largest steel manufacturer in the nation, wanted
nothing to do with the Mesabi Range, because he felt the quality of the ore was
inferior and not worth investment.
Henry W. Oliver traveled to the Duluth and the Mesabi Range to inspect the mines.
He liked what he saw, incorporated the Oliver Mining Company in 1892 and soon
purchased his rst mining lease from the Merritts. (Evans 203) Oliver was not
particularly happy about the price he was able to negotiate with Leonidas Merritt,
so he felt he should have legal representation in the area for his future dealings.
He was referred to William Billson. When Oliver went to Billson’s ofce, though, he
discovered that Billson would be away for an extended period of time. He agreed
reluctantly to meet with Billson’s partner Chester Congdon. When the two met,
a lifelong connection was formed both professionally and personally. (Hoover
51). By 1894 Congdon became Oliver’s legal counsel overseeing the company’s
second mining lease purchase. (Evans 216)
On May 3rd, 1893, the stock market collapsed and Oliver was desperate for cash.
forced to approach Henry Frick of Carnegie Steel for help. Against Carnegie’s
wishes the two worked out a deal where Frick loaned Oliver $500,000 in exchange
for ½ interest in Oliver’s company. By this time, Frick was convinced the prot
potential of the Mesabi Range. Thus, the Oliver-Carnegie partnership was created.
Prior to the Oliver-Carnegie deal being worked out, oil king John D. Rockefeller
played a bigger role in the mining industry through the takeover of the Merritt
Brothers’ mining company. The brothers had previously borrowed money from
Rockefeller and then went on to form a lasting business alliance with him to ensure
nancial backing through the creation of the Lake Superior Consolidated Mines.
Unfortunately, after the 1893 stock market crash, the Merritts were unable to fulll
their end of the nancial arrangement, and Rockefeller took control of all company
holdings (Hoover 53). This included the mines, the railroad, the docks, and the
steamship eet.
Rockefeller and Oliver-Carnegie continued to compete against each other (in 1895
the Oliver was out-producing the Rockefeller interests) until 1896 they came to a
deal which decided that Oliver Mining would take charge of the mining operations
while Rockefeller received royalty payments and tonnage on his transportation
networks. This more efcient mining operation took out many of the smaller
The Tour Manual - Oliver Mining Company | Page 96
mining operators that Carnegie or Rockefeller would absorb becoming bigger
entities.
This deal did falter in 1898-99. The two camps started to blame each other
for breaches of agreement which led to a battle of businesses. Such as when
Rockefeller made new ore purchases and hinted at building a steel mill of his
own, or Oliver incorporated a railroad company and bought ships to circumvent
Rockefeller transportation. This continued until a deal was made where Oliver
had a sustainable supply of ore for 50 years with Rockefeller receiving new ore
properties and (Evans 249-252)
J.P. Morgan, a powerful eastern banker, entered into the steel business and by the
turn of the century was the second largest steel producer in the country. Morgan
was obsessed with vertical integration and total control of industries and decided
to buy out Carnegie, Rockefeller, and Oliver’s steel interests to create the largest
corporation in the world, United States Steel Corporation. (Boese 10-11)
Hoover, Roy O. A Lake Superior Lawyer. Castro Valley, CA: Kutenai Press, 1997
Evans, Henry Oliver. Iron Pioneer: Henry W. Oliver. New York: E. P. Dutton & Co.,
Inc, 1942.
Boese, Donald L. John C. Greenway and the Opening of the Western Mesabi.
Grand Rapids, MN: Itasca Community College Foundation, 1975.
The Tour Manual - Oliver Mining Company | Page 97
Glossary
Andirons: Metal braces placed in a replace to hold logs.
Alabaster: An ornamental stone consisting of a ne-grained, compact, translucent
form of gypsum or (esp. with reference to ancient artefacts) calcite, typically white
or tinted or clouded with yellow, red, and other colours, and suitable for carving
into vases, gures, etc.In modern use the term alabaster generally refers to a form
of gypsum, but ancient alabaster statuary is often calcitic.
Andrew Carnegie: Scottish American industrialist who led the expansion of the
U.S. Steel industry. Built Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Steel Corporation and became one
of America’s richest people in history.
Anteroom: A small room or entryway leading to a larger room.
Anaglypta: An embossed cotton-paper blend wallcovering. It became popular as
a washable wall surface.
Arts and Crafts: Decorative design and handicraft; spec. work done by or under
the auspices of the Arts and Crafts Movement, or similar later work; freq. attrib.The
Arts and Crafts Movement (founded as the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society in
London in 1888) sought to revive the ideal of craftsmanship in the decorative arts
in an age of increasing mechanization and mass production. Often used as an
umbrella term to describe several different types of similar design between 1860
and 1925
Arts Nouveau: which is French for “New Art.” the style became popular in Europe
1880’s. Characterized by at patterns of sinuous curves and owing lines, it was
strongly inuenced by Japanese and Gothic art forms.
Butler: A servant who has charge of the wine-cellar and dispenses the liquor.
Formerly also, one who hands round wine, a cup-bearer. He is now usually the
head-servant of a household, who keeps the plate, etc.
Circassian Walnut: Native to eastern Russia & Georgia this wood was transplanted
to the west Europe and England for making furniture and cabinetry in abundance
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Charles Leavitt (Landscape Architect), Glensheen Estate original design.
Ask Jeeves, http://web.ask.com/web?q=what+is+a+paddock&qsrc=0&o=0.
Charles Leavitt (Landscape Designer), invoice to Chester about Carriage House Yard Paddock, August 31, 1908.
photo, Blueprint of Carriage House Yard Paddock, Digital Database of Glensheen Grounds Photos. July 1908.
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before the discovery of the Americas which opened a new wood market.
Clarence Johnston: Today he is one of the most celebrated and prolic architects
in Minnesota History. As the state architect Johnston and his rm designed many
buildings for the University of Minnesota and its many campuses, around thirty
homes on St. Paul’s Summit Avenue, and the Minnesota Senate Ofce Building.
Cunard Line: British owned transoceanic steamship line. Operators of such
ships as the Carpathia, one of the vessels that rescued Titanic survivors and the
Lusitania, which was sunk by German U-Boats in 1915 during WWI. The vessel was
torpedoed and sank losing 1,198 lives 106 of which were Americans this would
become a key talking point in the argument for American involvement in the war.
Damask: Reversible gured fabric of linen, cotton, wool, silk, etc. with a pattern
formed by weaving. These are woven with one warp yarn and one weft yarn.
David Ericson: A Duluth painter who mostly worked in Impressionism and
portraiture. A number of his works are in Glensheen and the Tweed Museum of Art.
Decorative Arts: Arts concerned with the production of high-quality objects that
are both useful and beautiful. Decorative arts may include but is not limited to:
furniture, interior design, pottery, or textiles. The term is not to be confused with
ne arts which would include objects that solely seek aesthetic appreciation:
painting, sculpture, architecture, poetry & music.
Edward F. Caldwell & Company: Custom designers and manufacturers of
decorative metal: gates, chandeliers, lighting xtures, andirons, etc. based out
of New York City and founded in 1895. Caldwell Co. attracted commissions from
renowned architects McKim, Mead, & White and Cass Gilbert among others. Some
building commissions include: the White House, Rockefeller Center, and Waldorf-
Astoria Hotel. The company also would be used in the residences of J.P. Morgan,
Frederick Vanderbilt, Andrew Carnegie, Henry Frick, J.J. Astor and many others.
Faience: Pronunciation: (fay-ons) /΄fajpns//fлÎ΄pns/
‘A general term comprising all the various kinds of glazed earthenware and
porcelain’
Fumed White Oak: White oak which was been exposed to ammonia fumes which
react to the natural tannins in the wood. The longer the wood is exposed, the
darker it becomes.
Glen: A mountain-valley, usually narrow and forming the course of a stream. At rst
applied to the narrow valleys of the mountainous districts in Scotland and Ireland,
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“Cunard Fleet”. Chriscunard.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 11 Apr. 2017.
“faience, n.”. OED Online. March 2017. Oxford University Press. http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/67646?redirectedFrom=faience (accessed April 10,
2017).
“glen, n.1”. OED Online. March 2017. Oxford University Press. http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/78888 (accessed April 12, 2017).
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but now extended to similar places in other countries.
Gold Leaf: Hammered or pressed gold used in architecture, art, and culinary
creation. Gilding, as a term, covers many techniques used to apply gold leaf. Gold
leaf is most commonly 23k, but can vary.
Grueby Faience Company: Founded in 1894 in Revere Massachusetts by
William Henry Grueby. Renowned globally for its American Arts and Crafts and
Art Nouveau architectural faience and art pottery. Sold by Tiffany & Co. and used
by Tiffany Studios in lamp bases. The pioneering company closed its doors in
1909 and continued to have some limited runnings until its liquidation in 1920.
Grueby stands as one of hallmark examples of American decorative arts ceramic
manufacturers.
Gustav Stickley: 1858-1942 American designer, furniture manufacturer, writer,
and advocate of the American Craftsman style. Stickly would publish The
Craftsman, printed between 1901 and 1916 this magazine showed many examples
of the Craftsman Style in architecture as well as interior design and furniture.
Handicraft Guild of Minneapolis: Active 1904-1918 a handicraft school and
workshop it was created, led, and to a fair extent staffed by women. The trade
school was incorporated for goals of creating craft, education, and personal
development. The goal of education was realized when the guild became
absorbed as the University of Minnesota’s art education department in 1918. The
guild manufactured leather works, metalwork, and pottery out of Red Wing clay.
Henry Oliver: Irish American industrialist, steel and freight nancier active in
Pittsburgh. Owner Oliver Iron & Steel Co. early in the late 19th century and third
largest coke coal producer in the country. Oliver would be involved in Mesabi,
Vermilion, Northern Wisconsin and Michigan ore mining by incorporating the
Oliver Mining Co.
Jacobean: Of or pertaining to the reign or times of James I of England; spec. in
Archit., a term for the style which prevailed in England in the early part of the 17th
cent., consisting of very late Gothic with a large admixture of Palladian features;
also transf. in other arts, as Engraving, etc.
Jin-Di-Sugi/ Jin di suigi/ jin-daisugi: A traditional Japanese process of curing
wood by way of burial in the ground. The resins in the wood reacts the soil creating
a textured faint green colored nish. In the modern American reinterpretation of
the process, the wood is often burned to remove surface bers, scrubbed with
wire brushes, washed and waxed. Bradstreet has been know to use many different
chemical concoctions and closely kept trade secrets to cure sugi in various ways
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“glen, n.1”. OED Online. March 2017. Oxford University Press. http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/78888 (accessed April 12, 2017).
“Home: Oxford English Dictionary,” accessed February 9, 2017, http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/100550?redirectedFrom=jacobe
an#eid.
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for the needs of his customers.
John Bradstreet: Interior designer, furniture manufacturer, antiquarian, and
general importer. John Scott Bradstreet was known as the Minneapolis tastemaker.
In the early 1900s’ he combined oriental inuences with arts and crafts style and
is recognized for his use of jin-di-sugi wood treatments created at his Crafthouse
starting around 1904. Second to none in the State and nationally renowned his
closest competitor was William A. French. He is subcontracted by Wm. A French &
Co. to execute interiors inside Glensheen manor.
John D. Rockefeller: Oil industry magnate considered wealthiest man in American
history. Controlled the Standard Oil trust which at its peak controlled 90% of the
American oil market.
John Ruskin: 1819-1900 Victorian Art critic, social thinker, artist and craftsman.
His writing emphasised nature, art, and society. Ruskin was a progressive social
economic thinker and advocate of labor reform and partnership. In 1871 he
founded The Guild of St. George, recognized internationally today following
Ruskin’s values, the guild had medieval (pre-industrial) values practicing
progressive social reform against labor exploitation.
J.P. Morgan: John Pierpont Morgan, nancier and banker, head of Morgan
nancial dynasty. Best know for mergers of AT&T, Edison Electric, General Electric,
U.S. Steel Corporation, and International Harvester. Criticised for his creation of
industrial monopolies and trusts.
Linden Art Glass Company: Originally the decorating rm of Speirling and
Linden, they became a leading producer of stained glass in the Midwest. Most
notably did work on Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie School buildings.
Lustre Tiles: Glass tiles with a metallic coating or glaze.
Merritt Brothers: Known regionally as the founders of the Mesabi Range. They
eventually lost all holdings in mining, leasing, and shipping raw ores to John D.
Rockefeller during the panic of 1893.
Mesabi: is the proper name for the largest of four major iron ore deposits in
Minnesota’s Iron Range. The Mesabi Range is located primarily in Itasca and St.
Louis counties; it was known to the local Ojibwe as Misaabe-wajiw, which means
“Giant’s Mountain” or “Big-man’s Mountain.”
Mohair: A fabric made from the wool of angora goats.
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Michael Conforti and Jennifer Komar, “ Bradstreet’s Crafthouse: Retailing in an Arts and Crafts Style,” in Minnesota 1900: Art and Life on the Upper
Mississippi 1890-1915, ed. Michael Conforti (Associated University Presses, 1994), 23.
Lundgren, Paul. “Mesaba, Missabe or Mesabi? What’s correct?” Perfect Duluth Day. July 29, 2015. Accessed April 12, 2017. https://
www.perfectduluthday.com/2015/07/29/mesabamissabe-mesabi-whats-correct/.
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Numidian Marble: Found “in the ancient provinces of Africa and Mauritania, now
Algeria, Morocco, and Tunis. The marbles are not found in Numidia proper, but in
the ancient provinces of Africa and Mauritania, now Algeria, Morocco, and Tunis.
Oliver-Carnegie deal: Oliver sells his interests in Mesabi ore to Carnegie n 1893.
This allows Carnegie a foothold to push Rockafellar out of his investments in Iron
Range mining.
Oliver Mining Company: Henry Olivers mining company, later he co-owned with
Andrew Carnegie (and others) then was sold to J.P. Morgan. After 1901 it became
a subsidiary of U.S. Steel. See “History of Oliver Mining Company (1892-1901)”
after glossary.
Pilaster: A square or rectangular column or pillar projecting from a wall or on
either side of a doorway, usually with a base and capital. Formerly applied also to
the square pier of an arch, abutment of a bridge, or similar structure.
Portieres: A curtain hung over a door or doorway, to prevent draughts, to serve as
a screen, etc.
Purlins: A horizontal beam which runs along the length of a roof, resting upon the
principal rafters at right angles and supporting the ordinary rafters or boards of
the roof.
Quezal Art Glass: (Kway-zell) Quezal is a trademarked name, issued 1902, to the
Quezal Art Glass and Decorating Company of Brooklyn New York. Quezal is a take
on the south American quetzal bird known for its bright plumage. Quezal founders
once worked with Tiffany Lighting, many Quezal patterns match that of Tiffany
Favrile glass and Steuben Aurene glass both of which are in trend and renowned
for their beauty in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Rookwood Pottery Company: Handicraft organization that was started by
Maria Longworth Nichols in Cincinnati Ohio in 1880. The company gains global
notoriety at the 1889 Paris Exposition Universelle and the 1893 World’s Fair
Columbian Exposition. Most renowned for its original design and innovative
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“Home: Oxford English Dictionary,” 1690, accessed February 9, 2017, http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/143809?rskey=MAeTxL&re
sult=18#eid30155345.
“purlin, n.”. OED Online. March 2017. Oxford University Press. http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/154935?redirectedFrom=purlins
(accessed April 09, 2017).
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painted and glazed pottery the company also created architectural faience
(glazed earthenware) several replaces and rooms in the manor display this skilled
craftsmanship. Many male and female artisans worked for the company until its
ofcial closing in 1967. The company is currently in operation today after many
other failed attempts at restarting. Rookwood displays in Glensheen mansion
include many pieces of art pottery and several ceramic tile faced replaces.
Satinwood: A wood native to Sri Lanka that was very popular in the Victorian era.
Soft: The under horizontal face of an architrave or overhanging cornice; the
under surface of a lintel, vault, or arch; a ceiling.
Structural Terracotta: Made from natural clay and red in a kiln interior cells give
the structure strength.
Tabriz Rug: The name of a city in north-western Iran, used attrib. and absol. to
designate carpets and rugs made there, the older styles of which often show a rich
decorative medallion pattern.
U.S. Steel: Founded 1901 by J.P. Morgan and Elbert H. Gary. The Corporation as
it was known on Wall Street was the world’s rst billion dollar corporation. Its rst
years of production yielded 2/3 market share in American steel manufacturing (a
monopoly).
Victorian Era: Of or belonging to, designating, or typical of the reign of Queen
Victoria (1837–1901).
White Star Line: Formerly British merchant marine company. The line become
a part of J.P. Morgan’s vast holdings and a subsidiary of International Merchant
Marine Company in 1902 making it an American held company. Most notable ship:
the Olympic Class, RMS (Royal Mail Ship) Titanic.
William A. French: One of Minnesota’s most prolic interiors decorators and
furniture designers in the early 20th century. Founder and director of the
Minnesota Chapter of the American Institute of Interior Decorators.
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Herbert Peck, The Book of Rookwood Pottery (New York, Crown Publishers, Inc., 1968)
“soft, n.”. OED Online. March 2017. Oxford University Press. http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/183895?redirectedFrom=soft (accessed April 09,
2017).
“Tabriz, n.”. OED Online. March 2017. Oxford University Press. http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/196840?redirectedFrom=tabriz (accessed April 09,
2017).
“Victorian, adj.2 and n.1”. OED Online. March 2017. Oxford University Press. http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/223221 (accessed April 09, 2017).
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William Morris: Disciple of John Ruskin 1834-1896 Morris was a socialist activist,
artist, author, and renowned textile designer. Morris & Co. was created in 1875
as a medieval revival of textile manufacturing in Victorian England. Morris and
colleagues used natural dye, hand processing, and quality materials all while
being environmentally conscious to the waste and pollution of industrialization. His
colorful and vibrant textiles were favored internationally among middle and upper
classes.
Further reading/reference
We don’t expect all guides to know everything but if you love the job and want to
continue to learn here are some recommendations & the list will grow.
- Glensheen The Construction Years. By Michael Lane
- By The Ore Docks A Working People’s History of Duluth. By Richard Hudel
son and Carl Ross
- Life and Art on the Upper Mississippi 1890-1915. By
- Minnesota Architect The Life and Work of Clarence Johnston. By Paul Clif
ford Larson
- Gloried Fishing: Memoir of a Mining Engineer. By Harry C. Dudley
- ron Pioneer Henry W. Oliver. By Henry Oliver Evans
- A Lake Superior Lawyer. By Roy O. Hoover
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