Touring Glensheen

Ever since we had such a great time  touring Superior’s Fairlawn Mansion with Grandma Kathy earlier this summer, I have had in my mind to take my bigger kidlets to see Glensheen.  Things just didn’t work out for that to happen during the summer until last Monday, the very last day of “summer” before school started, when I found myself sitting on the futon with a napping Mr. TOF, a husband at home, and hours to spare.  Dr. Peds was happy to stay with my napper (I think he might have taken a little nap himself before going to work for the night).  I asked the rest of the crew what they thought of the idea.  The middles were excited to go.  YaYa elected not to come.  She had been their twice previously, and had some other things in mind for her afternoon.

So, the middle kidlets and I were off on an adventure, and we had so, so much fun.  Dr. Peds asked me why I wanted to go to Glensheen when I had already been there.  Why would you not want to go to Glensheen???  I notice and learn new things each time I go, and it had been several years since I’d gone on a tour.  The Banana and Mr. SP just soaked it all up.  It was so fun to spend time with them and listen to their ideas about the mansion and people who lived there.

Next summer my goal is to attend one of the self directed tours, which only happen in July.  The regular tours clip along at a quick pace, I’ve always thought.  They are wonderful because you see everything and learn so much, but during the self directed tours you can take as much time as you want and spend as much time taking pictures inside as you want as long as you don’t use a flash, which I never use anyway.  I didn’t attempt to take any photographs inside, even though photographs are allowed now, because I just wanted to experience everything with the middles and pay attention to the tour guide.

I wish you could have seen Mr. SP’s face when the tour guide mentioned in the library that Chester Congdon believed that if you had time to read you should be reading something productive, like textbooks, not fiction.  It was a look of utter dismay on my boy’s face.  All those bookcases, and hardly any fiction????  One of his favorite parts of the mansion were the book cases in the infirmary which rolled out from the wall so you could choose books without getting out of bed.  He was certain there had to be some fiction in the infirmary at least.  The Banana was smitten with the fancy bedrooms and the breakfast room.  The breakfast room is always one of my favorites too.  

The right image is the door from the breakfast room out onto the balcony.  I love that the breakfast room gets it’s own, unobtrusive door outside.  After the terrific tour we wandered around and explored  the grounds until we needed to get back home.  I then spent multiple hours researching more about the Congdon family.  The real people of history are just so fascinating to me.  I just want to know so much about their personalities and what they thought about things in their society and community.  How did they really acti?  What were they really like?  There are so many things about them that I would like to know!