Glensheen

by Tony Dierckins, Dennis O'Hara (Photographer)

In 1868, following his father's death, fifteen-year-old Chester Congdon went to work in a lumber yard. He told his mother that someday he wanted "to be better off than everybody else." Thanks to his skills as an attorney, wise investments, and shrewd business strategies that found him entangled with John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and J. P. Morgan, by 1902 Congdon had become one of the wealthiest men in Minnesota. In 1905, Chester and his wife, Clara, began building a grand home on the north shore of Lake Superior in Duluth, Minnesota: Glensheen, a self-sustaining estate that survives today as a symbol of Congdon's success and Duluth's gilded age, when its East End mansions housed the families of grain trade commissioners, lumber barons, mining magnates--and their attorneys.

Over 200 modern and historic photographs guide you along a detailed room-by-room tour of the Minnesota's most famous mansion and stroll through the estate grounds as you learn the story of the Congdon family and how Chester created the fortune that financed their grand home on Lake Superior's North Shore. Five percent of the publisher's sales of this book directly support Glensheen Historic Estate.

Genres: Nonfiction

160 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2016

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book purposely avoided the most interesting aspects (real or imagined) of Glensheen: the infamous murder and the “ghosts.” Why? The same reason Hearst Castle doesn’t like to discuss Citizen Kane... a strong desire to maintain a veneer of respectability and avoid scandal, which is the major problem with “official guides” in general. “You want unlimited access to take pictures of the estate? Then WE decide what you can write about!” They don’t want to become the next Villizca Ax Murder House or Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast. I get that. But you don’t dishonor the Congdons by telling the truth. Elizabeth was by all accounts a pillar of the community who volunteered and donated to great causes. Her only major mistake in life was to adopt an absolute psychopath (this is not hyperbole). It was a decision that ultimately led to her demise. Why pretend this never happened? Nevertheless, Dennis O’Hara’s photographs of Glensheen are absolutely stunning and deserve a look.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tells the story of the Congdon family — room by room. I was looking for a book that told about the house and its furnishings. Although I did want to know the family’s history, I got a lot more than I needed. A few pages on how he made his money, who he married, how many children the had and when they were born, how old they were when they moved in would have been fine.

What I really wanted to know was what kind of piano was that, what kind of tile was used in that fireplace. What style furniture is that, what is that wall covering. Tell me about the soapstone back on the fireplace in the Amusement Room Let’s see a closeup of the picture and matching sculpture. Let’s see the cookie cutter. Which wallpaper is a reproduction or original or similar to what was there. Tell me about having the carpet in the Amusement Room replaced.

I appreciated the blue prints and the stain glass, but I would have liked more detailed on the house and its furnishings.

[SusanwithaGoodBook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous photos of this impressive estate. Nice, informative text. It was lovely to revisit the estate through this beautiful guidebook.

[Mike McClain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to learn some history of the family and construction and a lot of beautiful pictures.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this before you tour the mansion. I read it afterwards. It's a really nice reference guide.