“Nooks and Crannies”
A Day in the Life of a Glensheen Intern
Previously in A Day in the Life of a Glensheen Intern, the two interns Taylor and Kristen were on a mission to discover the secrets of the Swiss Chalet. Although their attempts were unsuccessful, the interns were not to be discouraged; soon, Director Dan had a bigger and better project for them.
The biggest challenge with the Swiss Chalet was sorting through the blueprints at Duluth City Hall and putting them in any kind of historical order. While geographically sorted, they proved a challenge for students of history because the same blueprint that was signed by the original owners in the early 1900’s was in the same file as the petition for toilets in the early 2000s. While on the same plot of land and concerning the same building, the two are not exactly historically comparable. We will still keep one eye open for the illusive Swiss Chalet; however, it is our firm belief that this phantom never existed in the first place.
Soon after we closed the file on the Swiss Chalet, Director Dan started a project concerning Glensheen’s new “Nooks and Crannies” tour. This tour will feature the many state-of-the-art treasures owned by only the high class members of society at the time.
I (Taylor) was given a list of several things to research before the new tour began. This list included the carriage lift, the vacuum cleaner system, secret passageways, a steam dryer, and the humidifier system. I know the list does not sound very exciting, but you would be surprised how thrilling it is to go on the hunt for information. It is like a giant puzzle. All the pieces are there somewhere, you just have to know how to find them and fit them into the right place.
I began with the vacuum cleaner system. All I had to go on was what the vacuum cleaner looked like:
And, the inscription on the system:
With that information, I began my search online for an overview of the history of the vacuum. I was quite successful in my search there, and in the Glensheen’s personal archives. I will refrain from telling you everything that I found so I don’t spoil the tour for you; however, I will give you a brief summary.
I discovered that the system was installed in 1908, the same year that the house was finished. It is a Kenney system named after the inventor David Kenney, who is rumored to have known Chester. This central vacuum cleaner system was perfect for a time when germs were first being discovered. Good hygiene and continuous cleaning of the home, was said to be the best way to get rid of these germs; therefore, making this central vacuum cleaner system perfect for homes like the Glensheen.
My research on the steam dryer, the carriage lift, and the humidifier system was very similar to what was previously mentioned. Like the vacuum cleaner system, all I had to go on was what each product looked like and the inscription on the product itself.
The carriage lift was constructed by A. Kieckhefer Elevator Company out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The A stands for August Kieckhefer, who started the company in 1889. He also organized and incorporated the Milwaukee Brewing Company.
The company was said to have employed about 15o people and was an important productive industry in Milwaukee. They built both passenger and freight elevators that they shipped to all parts of the world.
After August’s retirement in 1919, his son Edwin became the President of the company. He is said to be classed today with the most enterprising, progressive, and successful businessmen of Milwaukee.
The Steam Dryer was created by the Chicago Dryer Company, an organization that is still thriving today.
The picture below are the radiators, which is just a small portion of the humidifier system. A large fan sprayed water of the hot radiators and the moist air was forced through the ducting to outlets in several rooms.
I also spent a good portion of my time at the Duluth Public Library. With the generous help of the librarians, I was pointed to the patent books, where I found descriptions of several of the products I was researching. Here is an example of what I found on the steam dryer system:
I suppose you are wondering about the secret passages that I mentioned in my list earlier. It was the one that caught your eye, right? Well, Kristen and I did some research and there is one known secret passageway in the Glensheen.
In Glensheen’s basement, there is a small, machine-filled room lined with stone and cemented in time. At Director Dan’s word, we slipped behind the boilers and, using the light of our phones, we followed a short, narrow corridor to the mouth of a tunnel. Below, you can see photos of our findings:
We found out later that the tunnel may have been used to dispose of excess water from the boiler system. We are still going to pretend that it was a secret tunnel for prohibition, or something exciting like that.
If any of the topics discussed earlier sparked your intrigue and you want to know what I (Taylor) found, please come to the new “Nooks and Crannies” tour. Even if they didn’t, you should come anyway. It would make me very happy to see that others gain from my research.
