Alexandria Bay and Boldt Castle, NY
By Kimberly Deverell
13 Sep 2009
A short thirty-five minute drive along N I-81 in upstate New York will take you to an area known as the Thousand Islands. It's not much, mostly tourist stuff, but it's a quaint little area with some amazing sights. The first exit for the region takes you to a place called Alexandria Bay. It's a VERY small town, mostly little gift shops and restaurants, but it does have a certain charm.
Once you've parked your car, you can go down to the docks and purchase tickets for a boat tour of the area. There's a one hour, a two hour, and even a three hour tour. The longer ones take you farther out and into Canada. All of them are worth it, especially on a nice sunny day, it just depends on how much time you have and if you have your passport.
There are many small and medium sized islands in the area. Most of them have very large homes owned by wealthy families. They're mostly summer homes, as the only way to get to them is by boat. There's also two castles; Singer Castle and Boldt Castle. Singer Castle, built by the Bourne family, is located on Dark Island and is the only castle along the St. Lawrence River to be completed. Boldt Castle, built by George C. Boldt, is located on Heart Island, but was never completed.
In 1900, George built this castle as a testimony of his love for his wife. The magnificence of the structure was to be equaled only by Boldt's adoration of Louise, who was the love of his life and the reason for the construction of such an elaborate summer home. The finest artists, craftsmen and materials were sought for the work which was well underway until tragedy struck. In 1904, Louise died suddenly, and a telegram arrived ordering all work to stop. Three hundred workmen dropped their tools and left the island, never to return. The sculptures, Italian mantle pieces, imported tapestries and fine furniture never reached their intended places. Boldt was heartbroken and vowed to never return to the island.
From 1904 until 1977, Boldt Castle continued to deteriorate to a state of disrepair and vandalism. The Thousand Islands Bridge Authority assumed ownership in 1977 and began a rehabilitation program. All the funds gathered from visitors goes into restoring this piece of history for future generations to enjoy.
The castle itself is modeled after buildings of the 16th century, combining traditional elements with modern features such as large, plate glass windows and verandas. It rises six stories from the foundation level of the indoor swimming pool to the highest tower room, and an elevator served 127 rooms.
The main level, second story, and even parts of the third story are completely restored and look as though they've been lived in for years. The farther you go, however, and you can see the deterioration and the vandalism that has taken place over the years. It is indeed a beautiful place with a lot of history, but it's also a little sad to think that it was never finished. The people here are working to keep the memory of the castle alive, and that's what counts.
