Classic Tour Preview

Welcome inside the mansion. If you had arrived here in the 1910s, you would have been greeted by the butler and seen much of what you see today. Nearly all of the furniture and decor is original to the house. The style of the mansion's exterior and this main hall is inspired by old English estates of the 17th century.

This is where the family received and welcomed their guests. Upon entering the mansion, the butler would seat the guest in this room and alert the family of the guest's arrival. In the meantime, the visitor had many visual entertainments to pass the time, such as the gold-leaf ceiling and collectibles from Congdon's world travels.

Chester Congdon utilized this space, sometimes called the "den," as his home office. Most of his business work was done at his large business office located downtown. As Chester's smoking lounge, this is where he entertained his male guests, discussing what was seen as more masculine topics such as business or politics.

The living room was a place for entertaining guests in a formal setting. Mohagany wood is throughout, including the custom Steinway piano, which was made specially for this room. The Congdon children took piano lessons. Daughters Marjorie and Helen Congdon had their weddings in this room during World War I.

The library was the main gathering space for the family on a day-to-day basis. Reading was the primary form of home entertainment at the time, and this room contains the majority of the Congdon's book collection. Often, Chester Congdon wrote reviews and remarks on the front pages of the books, stating what he thought about its contents. In one book titled The True History of the Civil War, Chester wrote, "This book is not worth reading..." and went on for a couple of pages, sharing his critical thoughts.

All woodwork painted in Glensheen has been done so since the beginning. The painted wood is of birch, a softer wood that is easy to carve and takes paint well. Originally, the trim was painted cream with a floral design on the wallpaper. The room is decorated in a Colonial Revival style, taking inspiration from America's Colonial period. A simple ventilation system of windows aired out closets during the warmer months and as a breezeway for fresh air intake. Opening an outside window in the bathroom and the windows in the closet, the cool lake breezes could circulate through the closets.

In the decades before Glensheen's construction, it was standard in wealthy households for the husband and wife to sleep in separate rooms. That practice was trending out in the early 20th century. Chester and Clara, who were in their 50s when the house was built, continued the custom. This room belonged specifically to Clara.

The adjacent room is a dressing room where Clara would get dressed, often multiple times a day, depending on the occasion. A maid supplied the room with clothes that were changed out seasonally or what was immediately needed. Clara also had a closet and multiple dressers in her bedroom. Clothes kept away in long-term storage were held in the cedar closet on the third floor. The narrow French door by the dresser goes to a balcony overlooking the formal garden and Tischer Creek.

This is a typical bathroom for an upper-class home of the period, with its white subway tile and marble trim. Very rarely do you see a wealthy home deviate from this aesthetic. Also standard for the wealthy, the room includes a bathtub, a shower with multiple shower heads, and a sitz bath used for the lower body and feminine hygiene.

The reason for the size difference between Chester's and Clara's rooms is unknown. In earlier blueprints of the house, they did have similar-sized rooms. Medieval-inspired patterns and fabrics decorated this room when Chester occupied it. After Chester died in 1916, this room was used as a guest bedroom.

This room was primarily intended for female guests. Single women often (but not always) traveled in pairs for companionship and safety, thus the two single beds. Some common guests staying in this room include extended family and classmates of the Congdon daughters. Due to lengthy travel times, guests often visited for extended stays.

Elisabeth, the youngest of the Congdon daughters, got the smallest room. Although, she eventually moved into Helen's bedroom across the hall. Her furniture is made of satinwood with hand-painted details. Unlike her sisters, she had to share a bathroom with guests.

The color scheme for this room is pink and gray and was possibly inspired by Helen’s school colors at Vassar Colleg. The trim and furniture were originally painted a very light gray color. This room’s design is primarily Colonial Revival, and the details are in Art Nouveau designs. French for “New Art,” Art Nouveau used natural linear designs and botanical motifs.

These quarters belonged to the three women servants, including two maids and a cook. Each servant had their own room (only one is on display) and shared the bathroom. Each bedroom was furnished with only a bed, chair, and dresser. Also in these quarters is a linen closet to store the home's bedsheets and towels. These servants worked 12-16 hour days and six days a week. The women servants had to be single since marriage would result in the ending of their employment at Glensheen.

This was the room where servants would eat. The dining table is believed to have been used by the Congdons in their previous home since it would not fit in this room if fully extended. In the United States, it was customary for servants to eat the same meals prepared for the family. Servants had longer days, resulting in breakfast being eaten before the family and dinner being served to the servants after the Congdons were finished.

Historic recipe from the Glensheen kitchen

Ingredients

1 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 cups flour

Directions

Having the butter at room temperature, work it by hand until thoroughly creamed. When at a whipped cream consistency, add sugar gradually and blend well. Add flour gradually and blend well. On a board, work dough by hand. Do not knead until it becomes so stiff that it cracks. Roll out into 1/4" thickness and cut as desired. Preheat oven to 350° and bake on an ungreased cookie sheet until lightly browned.

This room provided well-organized storage for the china and serving pieces used in the dining room and breakfast room. At the kitchen end, there is an under-the-counter ice box for food to be served cold. The sink is composed of "German Silver," an alloy of copper, nickel, and zinc. The hope was the softer alloy might spare dishware from damage during washing. Within the tile-lined space under the sink are hot water pipes that were used as a plate warmer.

Breakfast, and perhaps other casual meals, were served to the family here. As a place for plants, this room had a lush feel all year round. The table expands and can seat the whole family. Rookwood Pottery of Cincinnati, Ohio, made all of the green tiles. Each tile is handmade with a simple square tile costing about $1 each, or about $30 today. The water fountain, a custom piece from Rookwood, would have provided ambiance and water for indoor plants. This was part of a private reservoir system for non-potable water, getting water sourced from Tischer Creek to use on the estate.

Formal dinners were held nightly here. On Sundays after church, the Congdons had their formal dinner midday, then a lighter casual meal later in the evening. The table has ten leaves and could seat up to 14 people. Under each end of the table are built-in buttons that rang a bell in the kitchen to let the staff know something was needed at the table. Dining room call buttons were common in middle and upper-class homes (usually built into the floor).

Billiards was a cue game different than pool. The game uses only three balls and has no pockets. Later on, wood panels were built to cover the billiards table so that it could be used as a buffet table for larger gatherings.

This room was a multi-purpose entertainment space, where the family could host parties, play music, or dance. Every year the family would host their Christmas gathering in this room. Originally, it was furnished more eclectically with various antiques and furniture the Congdons likely sourced themselves. The back alcove was called the “little museum,” with cases of curios and souvenirs that the Congdons collected.

After the estate's cows were milked in the carriage house, the milk was brought into here for processing. The slanted floors ensured good drainage with a drain in one of the corners. The maids used acid to clean the floor. In the center of the room is a cream separator.

The laundress was part-time and came in on Mondays to do laundry. She came back on Tuesday to do the ironing. Laundry was initially hand-washed in large sinks. The large dryer from the Chicago Clothes Dryers was used for a variety of linens, especially bed sheets. Clothes could also be hung on a clothesline in the servants’ courtyard right outside. The mangle ironed large linens and other large flat textiles. There is also a padded table for ironing clothes.