It will be thirty-six years ago this August that I visited the
region of New York State known as the Thousand Islands and
saw Boldt Castle for the first time. Located on a small island
in the St. Lawrence River not far from the US-Canadian border
in Alexandria Bay, New York, the story behind this replica
Rhineland fairytale palace is both sad and intriguing.
Built on the appropriately named, Heart Island, the building
of the castle was conceived by a man named George Boldt Sr.
a Prussian-born immigrant who arrived on these shores in
1864, nearly penniless, but none the less, through determination
and hard work he sought to live the American dream. And he did!
He eventually became a very successful hotelier, managing
the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York.
(1893-1929)
Image courtesy/Wikipedia
"A wife of noble character, who can find? She is far
more precious than rubies. The heart of her husband
trusts in her, and he lacks nothing of value."
(Proverbs 31:10-11)
Image courtesy/Miles Geek
In 1877, George married the love of his life, the former
Louise Augusta Kehrer. Her father was the steward of
the famous Philadelphia Club where she had met George
when she was fourteen. He was then twenty-six and
had been hired to work for her father at the club.
The couple later had two children: George Charles Jr.
born in 1879 and Louise Clover, born in 1883.
In the early 1890's with the help of some wealthy patrons from
The Philadelphia Club, George Boldt opened his own hotel,
the Bellevue, in Philadelphia.
Louise was his constant companion in this endeavor and in making
sure the hotel was attractive and socially acceptable to wealthy women.
Her influence was thought to have been the motivation behind
William Waldorf Astor's invitation to George Boldt to manage his
Waldorf Hotel in New York City, which later became
the world-famous Waldorf-Astoria.
During the summer, the Boldts often vacationed in the Thousand Islands,
where Louise eventually purchased Heart Island for $1.00. Not long afterwards,
George began planning the building of a dream home there as a gift for her.
Work began on the castle in 1900. George Boldt hired only the finest craftsmen,
including stonemasons, carpenters and artists to fashion the six story, 120 room
castle and surrounding grounds, which included tunnels, a powerhouse,
Italian gardens, a drawbridge, a children's playhouse, and a dove cote.
Not a single expense was spared in this gift for his beloved wife.
Then, in January, 1904 Louise Boldt died suddenly at the age of 42.
After a telegram arrived ordering all work on the castle to stop, the
crew of 300 workmen dropped their tools and left Heart Island,
never to return to work there again.
The elaborate sculptures, Italian mantle pieces, imported tapestries, and
fine furniture ordered by George Boldt for the castle never reached their
intended places in this now abandoned project. Although George Boldt
continued taking summer vacations in the Thousand Islands, he
never returned to Heart Island. He also never remarried.
George Bolt died after suffering a heart attack on December 5, 1916.
Over the years, the abandoned castle and various stone structures on Heart Island
were left to the mercy of the weather and to merciless damage by vandals. Then,
in 1977, the Thousand Island Bridge Authority acquired the property and the
decision was made to restore the castle and the grounds.
I can recall wandering through the empty halls of the castle and around the
grounds, trying to imagine what it would have been like to live there. I am glad
that the years of dedication and hard work by the Bridge Authority have finally
paid off, and this once abandoned and vandalized lost dream of one man's
love and devotion to his wife has been fully restored, not only in recognition
of the rags-to-riches life story of the enterprising George Boldt, but,
in tribute, to the luxury and elegance of a by-gone era.
a Heartbreaking Love Story
Lesser Known Adventures
(January 1, 2023)
