Heiress Elisabeth Congdon lived in the mansion and on June 27, 1977, she and her nurse were murdered here by her son-in-law Roger Caldwell. Caldwell was sentenced to life in prison.
The Glensheen Historic Estate is a historic mansion on Lake Superior owned by the University of Minnesota Duluth. Glensheen sits on 7.6 acres (3.1 ha) of lake front property, has 38 rooms and is built in the Jacobean architectural tradition, inspired by the Beaux-Arts styles of the era. The mansion was constructed as the family home of Chester Adgate Congdon. The building was designed by Minnesota architect Clarence H. Johnston Sr., with interiors designed by William French and the formal terraced garden and English style landscape designed by the Charles W. Leavitt firm out of New York. Construction began in 1905, and completed in 1908.