Glensheen, on the shore of Lake Superior about three kilometres from downtown, is a 39-room Jacobean Revival mansion completed in 1908 for Chester Congdon, a mining and real estate magnate who made his fortune from the Iron Range. The estate stretches down to the lake shore across manicured grounds, and the house is an extraordinary time capsule — furnished as it was when the Congdon family lived in it, with original Arts and Crafts woodwork, period furniture, and extensive servant quarters.
Tours run year-round and cover most of the house. The mansion's most vivid quality is its specificity: each room has a particular character and purpose, from the baronial library to the delicate sewing room, and the guides are well-informed about both the architecture and the family history. The gardens, which slope down through terraces to the lake, are included in the tour.
The 1977 murders are covered discreetly but honestly by the staff; if you want to know about them, ask your guide.