Haunted places guide · Duluth, Minnesota

Glensheen Mansion, Duluth: The Congdon Murders and the Ghost Stories

A 39-room mansion on Lake Superior, built for one of the richest men in Minnesota, and the scene of a double murder in 1977 that still fascinates the state. The estate’s own staff say it is not haunted. Plenty of visitors disagree.

By The Haunted Rooms Team · Updated November 2026 · How we rate places

4.2/5Haunted Rooms Score
1908Mansion completed
1977The Congdon murders

Our nearest ghost hunt: Ringling HouseMeet the ghosts

Glensheen is the Congdon family estate at 3300 London Road on the east side of Duluth, a Jacobean Revival mansion of 39 rooms on 12 acres of Lake Superior shore. The University of Minnesota Duluth owns it and runs it as a museum, and it is one of the most visited historic homes in Minnesota.

It is also the scene of the most notorious crime in Duluth’s history. In June 1977, heiress Elisabeth Congdon and her nurse, Velma Pietila, were murdered inside. Ever since, visitors have told stories of lights on the staircase, figures at the windows and a woman in old-fashioned dress in a photograph. This guide covers what happened, what people report and how to visit respectfully.

Glensheen at a glance

4.2/5
Haunted Rooms Score
Haunted reputation5
History5
Ghost hunter access2
Open to the public
  • Address 3300 London Rd, Duluth, MN 55804
  • Built 1905 to 1908, designed by Clarence H. Johnston Sr.
  • Most haunted spots The main staircase, Elisabeth Congdon’s bedroom and window, the library and the basement
  • Best-known ghosts Elisabeth Congdon and a woman in period dress; some add her nurse
  • Ghost hunting Not offered; the estate does not promote ghost stories
  • Good to know Self-guided Classic and Full Mansion tours year round, plus seasonal evening lantern, flashlight and candlelight tours

Our nearest ghost hunt: Ringling House Visit / tours

History of Glensheen

Chester Adgate Congdon made his fortune in iron mining and built Glensheen as the family home between 1905 and 1908, at a total cost of $854,000. Clarence H. Johnston Sr. designed the house, William A. French and Co. did the interiors, and the Charles Wellford Leavitt firm of New York laid out a terraced formal garden and English-style grounds running down to the lake. The result is about 20,000 square feet and 39 rooms, and it is often called one of the finest houses of its era in the Midwest.

Elisabeth Congdon was Chester’s youngest daughter, and she lived at Glensheen for the rest of her life. In 1968 the family gave the estate to the University of Minnesota Duluth, with a life estate that let Elisabeth stay in the house until her death.

In the early hours of June 27, 1977, an intruder killed Elisabeth Congdon, then 83, and her night nurse, Velma Pietila, inside the house. Roger Caldwell, the second husband of Elisabeth’s adopted daughter Marjorie, was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder. Marjorie was charged with aiding and abetting and conspiracy, and acquitted. In 1982 the Minnesota Supreme Court overturned Caldwell’s conviction; facing a retrial, he pleaded guilty and confessed. He was later released and took his own life in 1988. Marjorie was later twice convicted of arson and served time in prison.

The mansion opened to the public in 1979, two years after the murders. For years the tours did not mention them at all, a choice Minnesota Monthly noted. The third floor and attic were closed for safety for years and reopened to small group tours in 1992. The estate joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.

The ghosts of Glensheen

Elisabeth Congdon

Most stories center on Elisabeth herself. Visitors and staff have described lights that flash or switch themselves on and off, and Twin Cities Business wrote that her ghost is said to roam the mahogany-paneled rooms. Older lists name the library as a hotspot, saying she loved to read, and describe a hazy white mist between the shelves. Others report a figure at her bedroom window seen from the grounds.

The staircase and the basement

Ryan Jacobson’s book Minnesota Hauntings, quoted by Minnesota Monthly, collects reports of light flashes on the main staircase, sudden lightheadedness, and figures in the basement. Some visitors link the staircase reports to Velma Pietila. There is also a much-retold story that a woman in period clothing appeared in a photograph taken on the stairs during a promotional photo shoot.

The official view

Glensheen does not sell itself as haunted. When Northern Wilds magazine ran a list of the region’s ghost stories in 2015, it noted that estate officials insist the house is not haunted, and the museum’s own tours focus on the family, the architecture and the gardens. Perfect Duluth Day put it neatly: Glensheen is Duluth’s best-known site with a well-documented tragic murder. The ghost stories come from visitors, not from the house, and they should be told with respect for two real women who died here.

Where to look

  • The main staircase: where the light flashes and the period-dress photograph are reported.
  • Elisabeth's bedroom: visitors describe a figure at her window, seen from the grounds.
  • The library: said to be her favorite room, with reports of a white mist between the stacks.
  • The basement: where figures have been described.
  • The lakeside terrace and grounds: the best place to stand at dusk and look back at the windows.

Visiting Glensheen

Glensheen is open year round. The Classic Tour is a self-guided visit of the lower, first and second floors, and the Full Mansion Tour adds the third floor and attic. Seasonal specialty tours change through the year: around Halloween the estate has run nighttime lantern tours and adults-only flashlight tours, and in winter it runs evening Candlelight Tours of the house dressed for Christmas. Lantern tour tickets can sell out on peak October weekends, so book ahead.

Tickets are sold online through the University of Minnesota. The terraced gardens and lakeshore grounds are part of the visit, and it is worth leaving time to walk them.

There is no ghost hunting at Glensheen, and the museum does not run ghost tours. Please remember that the murders are within living memory: two real women died here.

  • Visiting Museum owned by the University of Minnesota Duluth, open year round
  • Tours Self-guided Classic and Full Mansion tours; seasonal evening lantern, flashlight and candlelight tours
  • Ghost hunting No ghost hunting; the estate’s tours focus on the family and the house

Tips for your visit

  • Choose the Full Mansion Tour to see the third floor and attic.
  • Book a lantern or flashlight tour in October to see the house after dark.
  • Walk the lakeshore grounds and look back up at the house at dusk.
  • Read up on the 1977 case first; the tour itself focuses on the family’s lives.
  • Pair your visit with the SS William A. Irvin and the Depot downtown.

Go ghost hunting nearby

Visiting a haunted place by day is one thing. Investigating one after dark is another. On a Haunted Rooms ghost hunt our team takes you through a historic building with professional ghost hunting equipment, runs EVP sessions and vigils, and gives you time to explore on your own. These are the nearest ones we run.

See all Minnesota ghost hunts

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Frequently asked questions

Is Glensheen Mansion haunted?

Visitors report light flashes on the staircase, figures at Elisabeth Congdon’s window and in the basement, and a woman in period dress in a photograph. The estate itself says it is not haunted, and none of the stories are proven.

What happened at Glensheen in 1977?

On June 27, 1977, Elisabeth Congdon, 83, and her nurse Velma Pietila were murdered in the house. Roger Caldwell, husband of Elisabeth’s adopted daughter Marjorie, was convicted and later confessed; Marjorie was acquitted.

Do Glensheen tours talk about the murders?

For many years they did not, and the main tours still focus on the Congdon family, the house and the gardens. Read about the case before you go.

Who owns Glensheen?

The University of Minnesota Duluth, which was given the estate in 1968 and opened the house to the public in 1979.

How big is Glensheen?

The mansion has 39 rooms and about 20,000 square feet, on 12 acres of Lake Superior shoreline.

Can you ghost hunt at Glensheen?

No. It is a museum, and it does not allow ghost hunting. The nearest place Haunted Rooms has run ghost hunts is the SS William A. Irvin downtown.

Sources

Facts on this page are checked against the official website, historic records and news coverage. Ghost stories are reported as staff, visitors and investigators tell them, and we say where records contradict a story.

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About the authors

The Haunted Rooms Team runs public ghost hunts and overnight investigations at historic venues across the United States. We research every place in our guides using official sites, historic registers, local archives and news coverage, and we report ghost stories as the stories they are. We review each guide regularly so you are not sent to a place that has closed, changed hands or banned visitors. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.