Boldt Castle and Yacht House

9/11/15 – 9/14/15 Boldt Castle, New York

Friday: The manager of the park finally showed up and said we were parked ok. The weather turned bad and it began to rain. It rained most of the night, and in the morning, it started raining harder. We found more water behind the TV entertainment center again.  I guess the vent covers that Tom repaired were NOT the problem.  It is raining so hard that we cannot fix anything outside today, so we just caught it in buckets behind the TV.  It looks like the wires from the satellite TV did not get sealed on the roof!

We had planned on going to Boldt Castle on Heart Island in Alexandria Bay, NY on Saturday, but it wouldn’t be much fun in a downpour, so we decided to extend our stay here at Birch Haven Campground by one day and do laundry instead. I called the Boldt Castle Visitor Center to make sure they were open on Sunday and to get a weather report. Yes, they were open on Sunday; and Saturday was “rain”, but Sunday was “occasionally rain”. We decided to take our chances on Sunday. Meanwhile, I called our next stop and changed our reservations.

Sunday, 9/13, Tom and I left for Boldt Castle, about 26 miles from the campground, over a toll bridge, through wooded areas, residential areas, and one-lane bridges – with no road signs at all. We thought we were certainly lost, when we finally spied one sign to the Boldt Yacht House. When we arrived at the Yacht House, we were told that the community would not let them put up any signs, and they realized they was had to find!

The Yacht House was amazing. It was much bigger than I originally thought, housing up to 12 boats. The houseboat garage (on the right) held a 112 ft houseboat that George Boldt paid $75,000 to build in 1900 (converts to about 4.5 million today). The center garage could hold a sailboat with a 30-35 ft mast and two smaller garages on either side could hold up to 3 boats each. The floors moved up and down by screw lifts. The captain and staff of the fleet lived in the upper floors, with their own kitchen, bedrooms, baths, and a parlor. We boarded the shuttle boat to Heart Island there.

First—a little history: George Boldt came to America alone at the age of 13—a poor immigrant from Prussia, and became one of the most successful hotel magnates in America, as the proprietor of the Waldorf-Astoria in New York, and the owner of the Bellevue-Stratford in Philadelphia. At 26 he married Louise (who was 15 at the time) in 1877. She was his helpmate in the hotel business as was largely responsible for the beautiful Waldorf-Astoria, which she decorated.   In 1899, George Boldt bought Heart Island and commissioned to have a Rhineland style castle built on it as a display of his affection for his beloved wife.  It took over 4 years. George planned to give it to his wife for Valentines Day in 1904. However, tragedy struck and Louise died in January, one month before its completion. George telegraphed the workers to lay down their tools, that the project was cancelled. For over 73 years the castle laid dormant---at the mercy of the elements and vandals, until the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority took it over in 1977.  It was in a sorry state, but since 1977 they have continued to restore the castle and its grounds to its original and intended glory. Work continues today, with the top two floors and the basement still under renovation.

Tom and I arrived at Boldt Castle with no rain (hooray!) Here is a picture of Heart Island, with the Yacht house in the background, and the Castle and grounds in the foreground.

Heart Island in Alexandria Bay

The Power house is on the lower right, and the Alster Tower (also known as the Playhouse) is on the lower left. The Dove-cote is right of the Castle. There is also a Gazebo (built for his wife, Louise), an Arch, and beautiful Italian Gardens throughout. The house is 6 stories, and holds 127 rooms. The restored rooms are beautiful, but not too ornate. Here are a few of my pictures.

Boldt Castle

Grand Staircase

If you are ever in upstate New York, don’t miss this attraction. I was overwhelmed with its completeness. It had something for everybody who lived here, and for who visited. The Playhouse had two bowling alleys, a theater, and a billiard room for the kids. The main house could accommodate 100 guests, and there was an indoor pool in the basement for everyone. The porches surrounding the castle were very inviting, with benches to sit in and watch the spectacular views from all sides. Even the servants had all the best. Finally, the overall feeling of love and contentment is what I got out of it. It would have been a wonderful place to live in the gilded age.