Duluth photographer Bryan French recently embarked on a project to visually document the Glensheen Mansion, owned by the wealthy Congdon family and best known for the terrible murders that happened there in 1977.
The mansion is available for tours, but French was able to get access to some of the lesser-seen spaces, and — with training from the estate's collection manager — opened most of the closets, cabinets, desk drawers to photograph their contents. Those images have been published in the May issue of Minnesota Monthly.
On the tour, you're struck by the home's beautiful architecture and luxurious furnishings, but you don't get to see some of the items that feel more personal: toys, luggage, a big pair of bearskin gloves. One of my favorite of French's finds was Chester Congdon's letters: he corresponded with former and current presidents, but also with the head of one of his son's colleges about his poor grades. Seems like no amount of wealth can buy a child's model behavior!
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