Boldt Castle at sunset
When you think of castles, you generally think of Europe but we found two relatively close to home. The Thousand Islands, NY
Boldt Castle on Heart Island in Alexandria Bay on the St Lawrence River is the first one you see when you arrive. The photo above was taken from our balcony at the Bonnie Castle Resort. There is a small fee to visit the castle and also for the boat ride. Here is a brief history of the castle.
George Boldt, general manager of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City started construction in 1900 on the castle as a present to his wife. The construction of Boldt Castle ceased in early 1904 after the death of Boldt’s wife, Louise Kehrer Boldt and never returned to Heart Island. For 73 years, the castle and other stone structures were left exposed to the harsh winter weather. The Thousand Islands Bridge Authority bought Heart Island and the nearby yacht house in 1977 for one dollar with a agreement that all revenues from the castle operation would be applied towards restoration, so that the island would be preserved for the enjoyment of future generations. The Thousand Islands Bridge Authority spent about $15 million for restoration and improvements
The second castle is Singer Castle on Dark Island. To get there we choose the “Singer Castle Tour” with Uncle Sam Boat Tours. Out tour guide provide a great narrative during both the down river trip to the castle and return trip back to Alexandria Bay talking about points of interest and sharing historic, environmental and seaway facts. It’s a 3+ hour round trip what includes a one hour guided tour of the castle.
One of Uncle Sam’s tour boats
It was originally built by Frederick Gilbert Bourne, president of the Singer Manufacturing Company as a hunting lodge and still has most of the original furnishings. The architect modeled the stone structure in 1903, on a castle in Woodstock, England that was described in Sir Walter Scott’s book Woodstock including all the secrete passages.
Just Around the Corner 