Some destinations and stories have become so ingrained in a community that they become lore. Each time these local legends are retold, the original lore lives on, making the past ever-present in small towns and cities across the United States. One such place is tucked away in Duluth, Minnesota. The Glensheen Mansion is not only the most visited historic home in the state, but its history is riddled with rumors, speculation, and intrigue. 

Welcome to Only In Your State’s newest series, Rumor Has It, where we celebrate the local rumors – fact and fiction – that make America unique.

Operated by the University of Minnesota Duluth as a historic house museum, the Glensheen Mansion is nestled on 12 acres of pristine waterfront property on Lake Superior. It was here that Chester and Clara Congdon built their home. Modeled after an English estate, this 20,000-square-foot behemoth features 39 rooms and was built in the Jacobean architectural tradition in the early 1900s for a total cost of $854,000 — equivalent to more than 22 million dollars today. It is an impressive feat of architecture, with tunnel-fed utilities, a private reservoir, and the largest private pier on Lake Superior. 

Every detail of the estate has been thoughtfully selected, and when you enter the Glensheen Mansion, you will be immediately transported to the past. Also known as the Historic Congdon Estate, the Glensheen Mansion is undoubtedly impressive, but that’s not the only reason it’s famous: the mansion was the site of two murders in the 1970s – a fact that is mentioned in hushed tones, swept under the rug. As a self-identified true crime aficionado, this tragedy is what has drawn me to the Glensheen Mansion.

On June 27, 1977, at 7 a.m., Elisabeth Congdon, the heiress to the Congdon family fortune who needed round-the-clock care after a stroke, and her nurse, Velma Pietila, were found murdered. Congdon was suffocated with a satin pillow; Pietila was beaten to death with a candlestick. The bedroom was ransacked, and there was a missing jewelry box. The initial motive was thought to be robbery. 

Marjorie Congdon LeRoy, Elisabeth Congdon’s adopted daughter, was charged with aiding and abetting as well as conspiracy to commit murder but was acquitted on all charges. Marjorie’s second husband, Roger Caldwell, was convicted of two charges of first-degree murder and received two life sentences. His conviction was overturned by the Minnesota Supreme Court, even though he pleaded guilty and submitted to a full confession. Though he was later released from prison, he committed suicide in 1988. In the meantime, Marjorie Congdon Caldwell Hagen was once wanted for bigamy in North Dakota and twice convicted of arson, for which she served 12 years in prison. 

Two years after Congdon’s murder, in 1979, the mansion opened to the public for tours. As a Minnesota native, I have always been fascinated by the Glensheen Mansion and the tragic murders that took place there. Most peculiar to me, though, is that despite the notoriety of the murders, you will find little trace of this story at the Glensheen Mansion. 

In the PBS Documentary, “Glensheen & The Congdon Legacy,” the murder is mentioned briefly. The narrator says, “The story of that dreadful night and its connection to Miss Congdon’s adopted daughter Marjorie has been told many times, and it’s a story that is not ignored at Glensheen, but neither is it emphasized.” 

I recently chatted with Victoria Prasek, who worked as a tour guide at Glensheen Mansion from 2015 to 2018 while studying at the University of Minnesota Duluth, about her time at Glensheen. "I knew about the murders before I worked there. I had grown up spending time in Duluth, and my mom had told me the story," said Prasek. "I had also read the book Will to Murder, which is the most accurate literary portrayal of what happened as it was co-authored by a prosecutor on the case."

Feeding the rumor is the way the murders are discussed in hushed tones – and the fact that when Marjorie was released from prison in 2004, she moved to Tuscon and fell off the grid. As far as anyone knows, she is still living in Tuscon.

In the past, Glensheen tour guides were explicitly told not to discuss the murders, but we’re told they might now tell you more if you ask discreetly after the tour: "We were both quite curious about murders that had occurred there in the 1970s, but the tour guide studiously avoided the topic. Although, if pressed, she would offer short answers to questions about the event – where the bodies were found, etc. – but for the most part, she encouraged us to do our own research after the tour," recalls Only In Your State writer, editor, and Minnesota resident Trent Jonas of his visit.

Prasek corroborated Jonas's experience: "If guests asked, we would tell them we were not allowed to discuss it on the tour, but could answer basic questions at the end. Later in my time there, we had memorial pamphlets to hand out to curious guests at the end,” said Prasek. “I would tell guests the basics of what happened, who was murdered, and who committed the crimes, and suggest they read Will To Murder.” 

While the murder may have overshadowed the legacy of the Congdon family and what they have done for Northeast Minnesota, the murder of Elizabeth Congdon and Velma Pietila is one of the most fascinating legends of the region. If the walls of this historic stately mansion could talk, I wonder what they would say. Were Elizabeth and Velma murdered by Marjorie or her husband? Is there more to the story than meets the eye? 

Of course, the Glensheen Mansion is also rumored to be haunted, but that's a story for another day: "Part of my time there, I also worked on the event staff. Often, we would be in the house late at night, and once, after cleaning up an event and turning lights off, we turned around to see all the lights in the house back on," said Prasek.

Have you visited the Glensheen Mansion for yourself? Do you think it's haunted? Discover another spooky icon in the Midwest with Only In Your State editor Sarah McCosham, who recently visited the Ohio State Reformatory (of Shawshank Redemption fame, of course).