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Secrets of the Congdon Mansion: The Unofficial Guide to Glensheen and the Congdon Murders
An inside look at Minnesota's most infamous murders. Elisabeth Congdon, an 83-year-old heiress, and her nurse, Velma Pietila, were brutally murdered in the 39-room Congdon mansion on the shores of Lake Superior in Duluth. Accused were Congdon's adopted daughter and new son-in-law. The greed, speeding up an $8 million inheritance. The son-in-law was convicted, but a jury found the daughter not guilty of planning the crime. In the mind-boggling aftermath, the killer was freed, the daughter accused of bigamy and convicted of arson in two states. And she's been investigated in other deaths. Guides on the popular tours at Glensheen won't say much about the murders, so the book helps guide visitors understand the crime as they go through the mansion.
104 pages, Paperback
First published May 20, 1985
29 people are currently reading
175 people want to read
About the author
Joe Kimball
9 books22 followersWho is Joe Kimball?
Joe Kimball is yet another pen name of author J.A. Konrath. While Konrath writes thrillers and Jack Kilborn writes horror, Kimball writes science fiction.
Two Joe Kimball novels, Timecaster and Timecaster Supersymmetry, will be released in 2011 by Ace/Berkley. The first, Timecaster, is scheduled for May 31. You can preorder the paperback on Amazon here.
The books take place in Chicago in the year 2064, and feature Talon Avalon, the grandson of Jack Daniels. They also feature Harry McGlade III.
Plenty of violence, mystery, sex, and jokes are guaranteed. It's like the Jack Daniels books, with cooler weapons
Joe Kimball is yet another pen name of author J.A. Konrath. While Konrath writes thrillers and Jack Kilborn writes horror, Kimball writes science fiction.
Two Joe Kimball novels, Timecaster and Timecaster Supersymmetry, will be released in 2011 by Ace/Berkley. The first, Timecaster, is scheduled for May 31. You can preorder the paperback on Amazon here.
The books take place in Chicago in the year 2064, and feature Talon Avalon, the grandson of Jack Daniels. They also feature Harry McGlade III.
Plenty of violence, mystery, sex, and jokes are guaranteed. It's like the Jack Daniels books, with cooler weapons
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
January 19, 2019
Elizabeth Congdon was the heiress to a multi-million-dollar estate in Duluth, Minnesota. In the early morning hours of June 27, 1977, Elizabeth was murdered in her bed. Her nurse bludgeoned to death on the staircase. The Congdon Mansion is not a work of fiction but is the true-life story of the Congdon murders and the pursuit to find the killer.
This is a story that would interest people who like to read about true crime. However, I can’t recommend this book because it was poorly written, poorly structured, and clearly not edited. There are other books written on the subject, but I have not read them so I have no recommendations.
This is a story that would interest people who like to read about true crime. However, I can’t recommend this book because it was poorly written, poorly structured, and clearly not edited. There are other books written on the subject, but I have not read them so I have no recommendations.
July 25, 2023
For decades, the 1977 murders of heiress Elisabeth Congdon and her nurse Velma Pietila have fascinated Minnesotans. Why? Well, the murders occurred in Elisabeth’s house, the beautiful mansion her father Chester Congdon built on the shores of Lake Superior in Duluth. The mansion, known as Glensheen, has been open for tours since 1979. To see the crime scene, all you have to do is buy a ticket for a tour. But for decades, the tour guides never discussed the murders. As a nosy kid, I tried to trick them into revealing some information. Standing in the bedroom where Elisabeth was murdered, I innocently asked “Whose bedroom was this?” Because at Glensheen it is forever 1908, the year the family moved into the mansion, the Glensheen floorplan, and the tour guides, refer to that room as “Helen’s Room.” Apparently now the guides will answer questions about the murders at the end of the tour.
In addition to the murders being committed in the most picturesque mansion this side of the board game Clue, another source of fascination is that the person found guilty of the murders was Roger Caldwell, Elisabeth Congdon’s son-in-law. Roger was married to Marjorie, Elisabeth’s adopted daughter who was always short of money. If you want to know more about the murders, and all of the subsequent craziness, you should start by reading Joe Kimball’s book Secrets of the Congdon Mansion. First published in 1985, and most recently updated in 2017, the book details the murders and the legal aftermath. In 1977, Kimball was a rookie reporter for the Minneapolis Tribune (now the Minneapolis Star & Tribune) who was going to cover a strawberry festival but heard a news bulletin about a homicide in Duluth and thus became one of the first reporters at the crime scene. Kimball has detailed all of the many twists and turns of the case since then.
If Kimball continues to update Secrets of the Congdon Mansion, he’ll have to add a section about the fantastic musical Glensheen, written by Jeffrey Hatcher and Chan Poling, that premiered at the History Theatre in Saint Paul in 2015. The summer 2023 production of Glensheen just closed, but there is a cast recording available. Glensheen is both funny and touching, and it continues to breathe new life into this most bizarre tale, which goes a long way to proving the old adage that truth is stranger than fiction.
Kimball’s book is only 104 pages long, but it does an excellent job of summarizing the events, and Marjorie’s subsequent legal problems. Kimball also quotes extensively from Roger Caldwell’s 1983 confession. Long story short, after serving 5 years in prison, Caldwell was going to get a new trial. Rather than go through all that trouble, in a case they might not win, the state offered Caldwell a deal: confess to the murders and we’ll let you off with time served. As Roger asks in the play Glensheen, “What does the state get out of it?” An exasperated prosecutor replies “We get OUT of it!” Caldwell’s confession raised more questions than it answered, and it shows a man living in a deep state of denial. Caldwell was asked: “What did you do then after beating the nurse to death?” Roger’s response was: “Well, I didn’t beat her to death. I beat her and she died.” (p.92) Those lines are repeated verbatim in Glensheen and provide a moment that is both funny and deeply tragic at the same time.
Kimball also shares the tales of how he got these stories, offering an interesting glimpse at old-school journalism. If you’re fascinated by the Glensheen murders, you need to read Secrets of the Congdon Mansion.
In addition to the murders being committed in the most picturesque mansion this side of the board game Clue, another source of fascination is that the person found guilty of the murders was Roger Caldwell, Elisabeth Congdon’s son-in-law. Roger was married to Marjorie, Elisabeth’s adopted daughter who was always short of money. If you want to know more about the murders, and all of the subsequent craziness, you should start by reading Joe Kimball’s book Secrets of the Congdon Mansion. First published in 1985, and most recently updated in 2017, the book details the murders and the legal aftermath. In 1977, Kimball was a rookie reporter for the Minneapolis Tribune (now the Minneapolis Star & Tribune) who was going to cover a strawberry festival but heard a news bulletin about a homicide in Duluth and thus became one of the first reporters at the crime scene. Kimball has detailed all of the many twists and turns of the case since then.
If Kimball continues to update Secrets of the Congdon Mansion, he’ll have to add a section about the fantastic musical Glensheen, written by Jeffrey Hatcher and Chan Poling, that premiered at the History Theatre in Saint Paul in 2015. The summer 2023 production of Glensheen just closed, but there is a cast recording available. Glensheen is both funny and touching, and it continues to breathe new life into this most bizarre tale, which goes a long way to proving the old adage that truth is stranger than fiction.
Kimball’s book is only 104 pages long, but it does an excellent job of summarizing the events, and Marjorie’s subsequent legal problems. Kimball also quotes extensively from Roger Caldwell’s 1983 confession. Long story short, after serving 5 years in prison, Caldwell was going to get a new trial. Rather than go through all that trouble, in a case they might not win, the state offered Caldwell a deal: confess to the murders and we’ll let you off with time served. As Roger asks in the play Glensheen, “What does the state get out of it?” An exasperated prosecutor replies “We get OUT of it!” Caldwell’s confession raised more questions than it answered, and it shows a man living in a deep state of denial. Caldwell was asked: “What did you do then after beating the nurse to death?” Roger’s response was: “Well, I didn’t beat her to death. I beat her and she died.” (p.92) Those lines are repeated verbatim in Glensheen and provide a moment that is both funny and deeply tragic at the same time.
Kimball also shares the tales of how he got these stories, offering an interesting glimpse at old-school journalism. If you’re fascinated by the Glensheen murders, you need to read Secrets of the Congdon Mansion.
December 26, 2024
Reread this because we had just visited Glensheen Mansion. I could easily envision the layout of the home.
October 8, 2025
FASCINATING.
November 15, 2016
The Congdon murders were THE murder case in Minnesota for years and years. Everybody knew who was guilty, but evidence was often thrown out, and witness and suspect statements changed at the drop of a hat.
What I found most fascinating, and horrifying, was just HOW much crime followed the families involved in the murders. Let's lay it out, shall we??
Marjorie Congdon LeRoy Caldwell Hagen, the adopted daughter of the "main" victim, Elizabeth Congdon, was declared a sociopath long before her name was in the papers referencing the murder of her mother, occurring in 1977. She was in all kinds of crazy debt, and wanted dear old Mummy to bail her out. Mummy wasn't having it, and neither were the trustees to the estate. Elizabeth was found murdered in her home and everybody, like EVERYBODY, suspected Marjorie and Roger. Her second husband, Roger Caldwell, was arrested for the murders of Elizabeth and her nurse and found guilty after trial in 1978, while Marjorie was merely charged with conspiring with Roger and declared not guilty at her trial.
Everybody in the Congdon family pretty much hated Marjorie and were scared for their life. TEN Congdon family members hired PIs to watch Marjorie.
While Roger's in prison, Marjorie is the last person to visit Helen Hagen before her death at a retirement home, leading many to believe she was to blame for her death, especially since Marjorie(49), still married to Roger, then turned around and married Helen's widower, Wally Hagen(72).
Roger, meanwhile, is up for re-trial due to the new evidence used in Marjorie's trial. He's released, awaiting his re-trial, and in 1983 confesses to the murders in a plea deal, which allows him to go free.
Marjorie is meanwhile committing arson in Arizona, and claiming that Wally is dying of cancer. She finally gets caught and charged with arson, spends a little time in prison, and then is released.
Roger Caldwell commits suicide in 1988, and his note claims that he was innocent of the murders and that he never hurt no-one, despite having beat his girlfriend days before.
Marjorie is again arrested, this time for trying to burn her neighbor's house down, is able to go home to "take care" of Wally for 24 hours before being shunted off to jail, on account of him being so sick and old and needing help. But then Wally is found dead in their home. The kicker being that Marjorie called to inform one of her step-kids of Wally's death BEFORE talking to a police officer and not mentioning that her husband was dead, all of which was hours before Wally's body was found. Initially, Marjorie was arrested for his murder, but the investigation turned out evidence of a suicide from an overdose, complete with TWO suicide notes???? Medical reports also showed that Wally didn't have cancer.
Oh, and Wally was stored in a fricking morgue freezer for 7 months, while the body was "evidence" and Marjorie and Wally's kids fought over burial rights. Wally was eventually cremated and the two parties SPLIT the ashes.
However, all the evidence against Marge just wasn't enough, so she ends up in prison for 15 years due to her penchant for setting things on fire, and as late as 2009 pled guilty in a fraud case, after having cosied up to a man in a retirement home and stolen his money after he died.
In 1999, Roger's first wife Martha was murdered by her /Roger's daughter Chris, preserved in 700 lbs of rock salt in a makeshift coffin in the basement until her body is discovered, after which Chris commits suicide.
Chris's brother, Roger's only son, also committed suicide, but some years earlier.
The husband of the second victim, Elizabeth's nurse, died shortly after suing the Congdon estate for a lack of security.
There was a lot more in the 100 page book, which was occasionally meandering, as most things are gone over twice, in greater detail the second time as more information came to light, but it's just pretty darn crazy. Also, I can find no records of Marjorie having died, which would make her 84 now...and still out there.
What I found most fascinating, and horrifying, was just HOW much crime followed the families involved in the murders. Let's lay it out, shall we??
Marjorie Congdon LeRoy Caldwell Hagen, the adopted daughter of the "main" victim, Elizabeth Congdon, was declared a sociopath long before her name was in the papers referencing the murder of her mother, occurring in 1977. She was in all kinds of crazy debt, and wanted dear old Mummy to bail her out. Mummy wasn't having it, and neither were the trustees to the estate. Elizabeth was found murdered in her home and everybody, like EVERYBODY, suspected Marjorie and Roger. Her second husband, Roger Caldwell, was arrested for the murders of Elizabeth and her nurse and found guilty after trial in 1978, while Marjorie was merely charged with conspiring with Roger and declared not guilty at her trial.
Everybody in the Congdon family pretty much hated Marjorie and were scared for their life. TEN Congdon family members hired PIs to watch Marjorie.
While Roger's in prison, Marjorie is the last person to visit Helen Hagen before her death at a retirement home, leading many to believe she was to blame for her death, especially since Marjorie(49), still married to Roger, then turned around and married Helen's widower, Wally Hagen(72).
Roger, meanwhile, is up for re-trial due to the new evidence used in Marjorie's trial. He's released, awaiting his re-trial, and in 1983 confesses to the murders in a plea deal, which allows him to go free.
Marjorie is meanwhile committing arson in Arizona, and claiming that Wally is dying of cancer. She finally gets caught and charged with arson, spends a little time in prison, and then is released.
Roger Caldwell commits suicide in 1988, and his note claims that he was innocent of the murders and that he never hurt no-one, despite having beat his girlfriend days before.
Marjorie is again arrested, this time for trying to burn her neighbor's house down, is able to go home to "take care" of Wally for 24 hours before being shunted off to jail, on account of him being so sick and old and needing help. But then Wally is found dead in their home. The kicker being that Marjorie called to inform one of her step-kids of Wally's death BEFORE talking to a police officer and not mentioning that her husband was dead, all of which was hours before Wally's body was found. Initially, Marjorie was arrested for his murder, but the investigation turned out evidence of a suicide from an overdose, complete with TWO suicide notes???? Medical reports also showed that Wally didn't have cancer.
Oh, and Wally was stored in a fricking morgue freezer for 7 months, while the body was "evidence" and Marjorie and Wally's kids fought over burial rights. Wally was eventually cremated and the two parties SPLIT the ashes.
However, all the evidence against Marge just wasn't enough, so she ends up in prison for 15 years due to her penchant for setting things on fire, and as late as 2009 pled guilty in a fraud case, after having cosied up to a man in a retirement home and stolen his money after he died.
In 1999, Roger's first wife Martha was murdered by her /Roger's daughter Chris, preserved in 700 lbs of rock salt in a makeshift coffin in the basement until her body is discovered, after which Chris commits suicide.
Chris's brother, Roger's only son, also committed suicide, but some years earlier.
The husband of the second victim, Elizabeth's nurse, died shortly after suing the Congdon estate for a lack of security.
There was a lot more in the 100 page book, which was occasionally meandering, as most things are gone over twice, in greater detail the second time as more information came to light, but it's just pretty darn crazy. Also, I can find no records of Marjorie having died, which would make her 84 now...and still out there.
October 18, 2018
Because I am going to Duluth next week, and we plan to visit the Glensheen Mansion, I wanted to read this book. It is the story of murders that took place there in 1977. Elisabeth Congdon was the aging daughter of the wealthy mine owner and lawyer who built the mansion. She was cared for by full time nurses. The night of the murders in 1977, one of the nurses was bludgeoned to death, and Miss Congdon was suffocated. The book is written by the Minneapolis reporter who followed the case, and has subsequently followed the characters in the case as they have aged. The story was interesting, particularly because I am visiting there. It is very straightforward writing with little description. I did not feel like I could visualize the cast of characters from reading the book. It was also quite repetitive.
Currently reading
January 12, 2011I'm almost done with this book and so far it is so good! It tells you everything that happened during the murders, and explains things really well. It also talks about Elizabeth's daughter and son in law, and how much trouble they got in, and how long they spent in jail. After the Murder happened Elizabeth's daughter got caught burning houses down and she had to serve her time. I didnt thinkI would like this book but I love it, it's so interesting.
I finished this book just a couple days ago and I really enjoyed it. Towards the end of the book, it explained the whole interview thing with Elizabeths son in law, and why he had killed her and her night nurse. Then it explained how much money everyone in the family got, it was just really interesting, and I would highly reccomend it.
I finished this book just a couple days ago and I really enjoyed it. Towards the end of the book, it explained the whole interview thing with Elizabeths son in law, and why he had killed her and her night nurse. Then it explained how much money everyone in the family got, it was just really interesting, and I would highly reccomend it.
July 20, 2011
The Congdon murder for some reason fascinates me and most of Minnesota. Having toured the mansion more than once, this book adds a lot to taking the tour. I looked for things that were noted in the book and it made the tour so much more interesting. Took our students there and I shared some of the details and they were fascinated as well. Liked the maps and diagrams as well.
September 27, 2016
It's written by a newspaper reporter and it reads like a newspaper account of the crime.
September 23, 2021
There is much to like about this book for its details
and inside scoops. It needs to be rewritten, however, with the help of a good editor. The problem is that it’s essentially a book in three parts which all need to be integrated into a single narrative. The first part tells the meat of the story: the people, the events, the trials, and the aftermaths. Part two is the unofficial “tour” of the mansion, telling you where everything happened when visiting the place yourself. Part three is a series of “inside stories” where the author talks more about his personal involvement in the drama: how he got the scoops, the behind-the-scenes goings on, etc. Part three is almost like watching a dvd commentary of a movie: everything from part one is essentially retold, but this time we find out how the sausage is made. But this is unnecessary: if parts one and three were written as a single narrative, this would make for a much stronger work. Nonetheless, everything you need to know about the case is here.
and inside scoops. It needs to be rewritten, however, with the help of a good editor. The problem is that it’s essentially a book in three parts which all need to be integrated into a single narrative. The first part tells the meat of the story: the people, the events, the trials, and the aftermaths. Part two is the unofficial “tour” of the mansion, telling you where everything happened when visiting the place yourself. Part three is a series of “inside stories” where the author talks more about his personal involvement in the drama: how he got the scoops, the behind-the-scenes goings on, etc. Part three is almost like watching a dvd commentary of a movie: everything from part one is essentially retold, but this time we find out how the sausage is made. But this is unnecessary: if parts one and three were written as a single narrative, this would make for a much stronger work. Nonetheless, everything you need to know about the case is here.
May 31, 2023
This is basically the Cliff Notes of Glensheen’s Daughter: The Marjorie Congdon Story by Sharon Darby Hendry, though Hendry’s book actually uses Kimball’s Secrets of the Congdon Mansion as a source and has a blurb by Kimball on her cover praising her book. It’s a good start into the story but is really more of a collection of what one would have gathered through the newspaper coverage at the time of the killings and subsequent crimes and leave out a lot of the backstory that makes the whole thing fascinating.
January 27, 2025
This book was interesting as it gives an overview of the Congdon murder in Duluth, MN. It is told by a reporter that was going to Northern Minnesota to cover something else when the murder happened. Through diligence he is able to get some inside stories and covers the investigation, trial, and aftermath. It is a quick read and one feels like she is reading a series in a newspaper. For some reason murder is very interesting and this book is gripping. Some aspects are repeated which makes parts a little redundant, but it was a quick read for me.
June 17, 2017
If you've ever heard of the Glensheen Mansion in Duluth, MN, I recommend this book...Even if you've already gone on the tour--the guides refuse to touch on the murder that took place there, but this book will give you all the details of the case.
I'm excited to have finished reading it because Joe Kimball, who was reporting on the case in the 1970s, will be speaking at the library where I work today!
August 17, 2017
I'm never read crime writing before so I can't really analyze it critically. I read this book at my husband's insistence because he is a native Minnesotan who finds the lurid murders at Congdon mansion a very compelling mystery. After reading this, I can see why. Kimball writes clearly, cleanly, and compassionately about all the players without ever appearing to exploit their personal tragedies or foibles. We will be touring the mansion in a couple weeks with this information in mind.
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August 5, 2019Just the facts. Short read after watching the History Museum's production of Glensheen, I shared most of the big reveals out loud on a road trip with my family. A good way to get an overview of the facts and timeline of the case from the perspective of the main Star Tribune reporter.
June 3, 2020
I toured Glensheen several years ago, and I wish I had read this book before visiting! I had no idea that this story was so involved. One thing I didn’t like about the book was that it jumped around a lot, and wasn’t chronological. Quick read!
July 26, 2021
Phew! The writing is BAD!
Kimball is an expert in the case, but maybe the reporter should have gotten an editor.
Also it's ok that the mansion doesn't talk about the murders, because True Crime Culture can be pretty gross.
Kimball is an expert in the case, but maybe the reporter should have gotten an editor.
Also it's ok that the mansion doesn't talk about the murders, because True Crime Culture can be pretty gross.
April 5, 2022
Murder. This story guides you through Glensheen's double murder the night of June 26, 1977 of Elizabeth Congdon and her nurse in Duluth Minnesota. The murderer was a son-in-law Roger Caldwell and the story is as told by a reporter Joe Kimball an expert on the case.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 3, 2022
Being from Minnesota and knowing some of the background, this book was fascinating. I had the opportunity to listen to the author. The background filled in the blanks. I am going to make a trip to Glensheen Mansion where the murders took place.
March 12, 2025
An interesting synopsis of a true crime event in Minnesota, but not very well written... I reviewed it on my blog: https://wineandhistory.wordpress.com/...
November 26, 2017
This book is so good. Really good Nonfiction.
January 23, 2020
As intriguing as this was, I just kept getting distracted by other books so I gave up trying to read this one.
February 29, 2020
Story but interesting story of the family that owned the Glensheen mansion.
October 17, 2022
This had a lot less information than I was looking for.
October 11, 2024
Mr. Kimball is an excellent speaker and he speaks about the story better than the book presents it. The book is a big of an info dump. But interesting, nonetheless.
November 6, 2024
Lots of details!
November 20, 2024
This is a true crime book of the murders of a wealthy heiress and her nurse. It takes place in the Congdon Mansion, also known as Glensheen, in Duluth. It is informative and interesting.
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November 21, 2024If I could give this book a minus, I would! Probably the worst grammar and spelling and repeating of facts that I have ever seen.
December 26, 2024
Quick read but poorly written, poorly edited and repetitive. Don’t bother.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews