Waller observed her room was disorganized and Congdon herself had bloodstains on her sheets, nightgown and on the pillow that covered her face. Murder at Glensheen Mansion. By 10:45 Elisabeth was finally settled in bed and was exhausted. By Joe Kimball. In fact, one … Conger however, found the front door already unlocked. He remembered his wife telling him that during the argument, Marjorie had grabbed Velma by the wrist and would not let go. 40 years later, Glensheen murders still grip Duluth, Glensheen, home museums rethink rules to lure visitors. Glensheen had no electronic security system nor was there any security living on the estate. Marjorie Congdon's mugshot, when she was arrested for arson in Arizona on March 25, 1991. Wyness told him no. In the mean time they stayed in the Twin Cities at a Holiday Inn. And I whispered to the guide, 'You know she was brutally murdered, right?'". At this point, there was not even the slightest guess as to what the small injuries could have been. Marjorie's behavior in court also had an impact on the trial. Update: 2019-01-02. Biography. As usual, she returned on Sunday night to Duluth. He recalled an argument his wife had had with Elisabeth Congdon’s adopted daughter Marjorie. The standard Glensheen tour had a twist on Wednesday night as guides noted different points of interest in the mansion: a small window, a laundry chute and a Bible on a pedestal in a bedroom. There was a large pool of blood beneath Pietila’s head, but Garvue checked for signs of life anyway. There was also blood on her uniform and a large pool of blood on the polished floor. Help ensure MPR remains a resource that brings Minnesotans together. While making rounds, she was to unlock the front door so the arriving day nurse could enter and not have to ring the doorbell and disturb Elisabeth. They were the same items taken from Elisabeth Congdon’s bedroom the night of the murders. Portraits of Chester and Clara ... he built the Glensheen Mansion in 1909. Around 10 p.m. Nurse Klosowsky wheeled Elisabeth onto the elevator that took her to the second floor, where her bedroom was located. Learn More. Share your experience with us on Facebook “This is a must see for anyone visiting Duluth. See more ideas about glensheen mansion, glensheen, duluth. Explore the mansion digitally with a guide. Less than five years later, he committed suicide on May 17, 1988 by slitting his wrists with a steak knife in his apartment. Also available from Amazon, With the purpose of writing about true crime in an authoritative, fact-based manner, veteran journalists J. J. Maloney and J. Patrick O’Connor launched Crime Magazine in November of 1998. Also noted was a tattoo-like pattern of wounds to her face, forearm and finger. Caldwell was paroled on July 5, 1983, after serving five years in prison. Photo courtesy of Glensheen Manor. "Then went upstairs and smothered the 83-year-old heiress in her bed with a satin pillow.". The bedroom was simply decorated, not something someone would expect of someone of Elisabeth Congdon’s means. A gift of $17 makes a difference. Jul 7, 2016 - Explore Deanna's board "Glensheen Mansion", followed by 314 people on Pinterest. The mystery became a media sensation. Thinking Pietila must have forgotten, Conger continued on. When asked if he knew of any enemies his wife may have had, he said he was not sure. Marjorie was released from prison in 2004. When she touched Pietila’s arm she could feel it was cold and stiff. Dr. Goldschmidt went to examine the body of Elisabeth Congdon. In 2005, the museum reversed course. "Even though she's been acquitted, I think there's lots of questions about that.". During the time of her autopsy, police learned the small puncture wounds on Pietila’s face, forearm and finger most likely was caused by nails. Kucera entered the house. Elisabeth Congdon, the owner spent winters in Tuscon so the film crew filmed during that time period. Is it a real haunting, or is it just an urban legend? On July 5, 1977, Roger Caldwell had become ill after eating and having a few drinks with his wife. Other family members and household staff all shared the same opinion as to who they felt had the biggest gain in the death of Elisabeth Congdon. Around 5 p.m. Elisabeth awoke from her short nap and asked her nurse to play a game of cards. An additional note: The History Theatre musical, "Glensheen" is on stage starting July 6 and runs through July 30, 2017. University of Minnesota officials, who now own the Congdon Mansion under the terms of Miss Congdon’s will, … A few feet away stood a bloodied brass candlestick. With help of Twin City authorities, Waller was able to get a search warrant to search the Caldwell’s room. When Nurse Mildred Garvue arrived shortly before 7 a.m., she went to the pantry’s refrigerator to get Elisabeth’s insulin. That's because 40 years later, Hartman said, about 70 percent of visitors don't even know about the murders. Loren told Grams he “pleaded with her not to go,” but her mind was made up and she left at 10:45 p.m. They found a receipt from the day of the murders from the Twin Cities Airport gift shop for a suede suit bag. Elisabeth Congdon, the owner spent winters in Tuscon so the film crew filmed during that time period. There were also empty jewelry boxes scattered on the floor. from Carleton College, and … Their goal was to cover all aspects of true crime: Read More, Contents Copyright © 1998-2020 by Crime Magazine | J. Patrick O'Connor Editor | E-mail CrimeMagazine.com, Designed by Orman. Individual donations are behind the clarity in coverage from our reporters across the state, stories that connect us, and conversations that provide perspectives. All 12 jurors found Roger Caldwell guilty, and sentenced him to two consecutive life sentences. The mansion was the site of a grisly 1977 real-life murder mystery, when the last surviving heiress to the home and family fortune, Elizabeth Congdon, and her nurse were killed here. From Will to Murder: The True Story behind the Crimes and Trials Surrounding the Glensheen Killings by Gail Feichtinger, John DeSanto, and Gary Waller (Zenith City Press, 2003). Goldschmidt also made note of some hemorrhaging in Congdon’s eyes. When Elisabeth saw the movie at the Duluth premiere she was surpised at the dark tone. For this he was able to evade life imprisonment and be eligible for parole. Share. Duluth officials were outraged by the Minnesota Supreme Court's decision, but knew they lacked hard evidence. There was a strict routine followed by staff when it came time for locking and unlocking doors and windows. 40 years later, Hartman said the murders are still fresh and raw for members of the Congdon family, some of whom sit on the museum's board. Rather than risk an acquittal or a hung jury, officials struck a deal with Caldwell, allowing him to plead guilty to two, John Wayne Gacy Confessed to Killing Dozens (December 22, 1978). After helping move Elisabeth into the house and laying her down on a sofa, she returned to the car to unload two suitcase wicker baskets. After police learned of the Caldwell's financial troubles and the constant begging for money by the two, Marjorie and Roger became prime suspects. Glensheen Mansion Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and said to be haunted. On receiving this news, Roger Caldwell appealed his conviction due to the lack of evidence presented at his wife’s trial. The blood being wiped from the killer to Elisabeth Congdon as she fought her murderer. Is it a real haunting, or is it just an urban legend? As she made her way up the stairs, Garvue saw two bare legs dangling on the landing between the first and second floors. With the death of Elisabeth, the Glensheen estate, which includes the 39-room mansion, carriage house, boathouse, and gardener’s cottage, was left to the University of Minnesota and has remained largely intact, down to the unopened house-canned jars of pickles in the basement. Blood money: The grisly murders at Duluth's Glensheen mansion Friday, December 7, 2018 by Hannah Jones in News. “Velma’s dead; Miss Elisabeth’s been murdered,” Garvue said in a panic. Hotels near Glensheen, The Historic Congdon Estate: (0.80 mi) A G Thomson House Bed and Breakfast (1.08 mi) The Firelight Inn on Oregon Creek Bed and Breakfast (1.11 mi) Beacon Pointe on Lake Superior (2.41 mi) Fitger's Inn (0.96 mi) Cotton Mansion; View all hotels near Glensheen, The Historic Congdon Estate on Tripadvisor Klosowsky recalled looking at her watch, it was 11:05 p.m. Dresser drawers had been pulled out and empty jewelry boxes lay on the floor. Velma Pietila had been a nurse since 1933 and had spent the last seven years working at Glensheen. This time he told police that his wife’s car had been stolen. July 15, 1977. Police found fresh tracks along the lakes edge and some trash. Glensheen at the time was owned by the Congdon family. In 1983 Roger Caldwell confessed to the Glensheen killings, pleading guilty to two counts of second-degree murder. "So they said, 'Do what you gotta do.'". It was the stuff of an Agatha Christie novel. Follow Us. Description. Detective Waller didn’t think the prints were a clear enough match, but they were introduced at trial anyway. Roger’s fingerprints were nowhere to be found in Glensheen. A pane of glass in a basement window was broken, and a mark that appeared to have been caused by a foot impression was found on a sofa underneath the broken window. That's because the operators say there's more to the Congdons and Glensheen than this one grisly crime. There are certainly other tragic places in Minnesota, but few have captured the imagination as much as Glensheen. Roger Caldwell, the second husband of Elisabeth's adopted daughter, Marjorie Congdon LeRoy Caldwell Hagen, was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and received two life sentences. As usual, Elisabeth slept with her gold watch on and her favorite ring -- a platinum strawberry dome ring that had 12 diamonds and 15 round sapphires. Roger Caldwell, when he was arrested for the murders of heiress Elisabeth Congdon and her nurse, in St. Louis County, on July 8, 1977. Glensheen, the Historic Congdon Estate is a 20,000 square foot mansion in Duluth, Minnesota, United States, operated by the University of Minnesota Duluth as a historic house museum.Glensheen sits on 12 acres of waterfront property on Lake Superior, has 39 rooms and is built in the Jacobean architectural tradition, inspired by the Beaux-Arts styles of the era. The night of June 27, 1977, Roger broke into Glensheen to burgle the 39-room mansion on Lake Superior that belonged to Marjorie’s mother, 83-year-old Duluth heiress Elisabeth Congdon. Around 5 p.m. Elisabeth awoke from her short nap and asked her nurse to play a game of cards. Garvue was able to see Pietila’s face was covered in dried blood, her jaw also appeared broken. The next morning, just before 7 a.m. Hazel Conger began making her normal rounds. This was presented as evidence as well. On many nights she would fall asleep watching TV, but that night she “needed a good night’s rest.” She said her goodbyes to Klosowsky and fell asleep. On the night of November 29, 1988, near the impoverished Marlborough neighborhood in south Kansas City, an explosion at a construction site killed six of the city’s firefighters. Concerned for Congdon, Nurse Garvue was worried, but continued upstairs to Elisabeth’s bedroom. Finding no pulse, he continued up the stairs to Elisabeth’s room. Detective Gary Waller arrived at Glensheen just after 8 a.m. and after parking his car he proceeded to the mansion’s front door. By then another police officer had arrived. To her horror, she saw the lifeless body of Velma Pietila laying on the bench seat beneath the landing window. On that last Sunday of her life, June 26, 1977, Elisabeth Congdon, who had suffered a severe stroke 12 years prior and required around the clock care, arrived at her family’s estate known as Glensheen. On June 27, 1977, the aged heiress to a vast mining fortune is killed along with her night nurse at Glensheen, a posh mansion perched on the Lake Superior coast. "It really was like a house in a time capsule.". For many years, the public tours at Glensheen Mansion didn't discuss the grisly murders – even if you asked about them. The same bag that was found in Roger and Marjorie’s Holiday Inn room. The murder at the Glensheen Mansion remains one of Minnesota's most well-known mysteries. Fearing the killer could still be in the house, the two women, side by side, walked toward the phone. Police Officer Chris Kucera was the first to reach the Congdon estate at 7:03 a.m. Making note of the small drops of blood on the carpet and wall, Waller figured it looked like the nurse had put up a fight. Drupal theme by ThemeSnap.com. After settling in to the nurses room, Pietila propped open the window with her thermos and read her book I Didn’t Come Here to Argue by Peg Bracken. Elisabeth had spent the weekend at her summer home on the Brule River in Wisconsin, just like she did every weekend. Why don't Glensheen tours focus on the murders? "She brought a birthday cake in for one of the lawyers one day. Grams gave Waller a quick rundown of what has been found and a description of the two bodies. Police had to work at a slow pace to make sure they did not miss the slightest clue that could lead to the killer. Glensheen Mansion was constructed in 1905 by the Lake Superior in Duluth, It was the brainchild of then wealthiest man in Minnesota, Chester Adgate Congdon. Learn More. The court granted him a new trial. We learn about Marjorie's post-mother-smother life and Roger's pathetic and short existence and the lessons learned from foolishly being Marjorie's lapdog. In the late 1960s, the Congdon family decided to donate the estate to the University of Minnesota Duluth, although not until Elizabeth died. Police concluded she had been beaten with her own shoe. And they ended up acquitting her. Marjorie later was indicted on a variety of other strange but unrelated crimes in the southwestern United States. Thousands have toured it since it opened as a museum in 1979. Wyness at this time had no idea what had taken place inside Glensheen. But for veteran crime writer and crusading editor J. Patrick O’Connor, the facts—or a lack of them—didn’t add up. Police Officer Chris Kucera was the first to reach the Congdon estate at 7:03 a.m. Marjorie’s case began right after her husband's conviction. Biography. But even today, guides don't discuss the murder during tours, although they will answer questions after, explained Glensheen Director Dan Hartman. He made note of the dresser in the room having all its drawers pulled out the same length. The Caldwell’s remained in Minnesota for several days following Elisabeth’s funeral, waiting for the reading of Elisabeth’s will. Meanwhile, during all this legal back and forth, the Glensheen mansion had opened to the public. When Elisabeth saw the movie at the Duluth premiere she was surpised at the dark tone. May 12, 2017. Become a Member. Police in Golden, Colorado found a missing gold coin in an envelope in Caldwell's mailbox. Apr 29, 2020 - Photos and videos of the Glensheen mansion in the past. Jul 7, 2016 - Explore Deanna's board "Glensheen Mansion", followed by 314 people on Pinterest. She was accused of murdering her third husband, although those charges were dropped. I adore the Glensheen mansion as well as the Bed and Breakfast named, The Mansion. Hearing this information got Detective Waller’s attention and he began to investigate further. `` she brought a birthday cake in for one of the murder details about the case that would the! Upon a closer look she could feel it was 11:05 p.m Glensheen than this one grisly crime toward phone... 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