George C. Boldt, the son of poor parents, came to America in the 1860s from Prussia. A man of great skill and imagination, he became the most successful hotel magnet in the country, managing the Waldorf-Astoria in New York and the Bellevue-Stratford in Philadelphia.
Boldt Castle, on Heart Island, was to be the testimony of George's unsurpassed love for his wife. Cost was to be no issue, and three hundred workmen were well underway with the elaborate summer home when in 1904 tragedy struck. Boldt's wife, Louise, suddenly died. Workmen were dismissed, and furniture waiting in New York was never delivered. Boldt was devastated, and it is believed he never returned to the property. Despite a period of ownership by Edward J. Noble (who made Life Savers candy famous), the property fell into ruins.
In 1977, the Thousand Island Bridge Authority acquired the property and began the incredible task of restoring the castle. While not yet complete (the upper floors are still as they were found -- unfinished and covered with graffiti), the magnificence never seen by George or Louise is quite a site to behold.
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| Heart Island: children's playhouse on left, castle in center, power station on right |
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| Boldt Castle with 120 rooms |
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| Beautiful gardens |
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| Relaxing pools |
We continued our exploration of the Thousand Islands, winding through and around islands and marveling at the ingenuity of those who built and live in this region.
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| Humble abode with lots of shade! |
It was time to enter Canada, and we stopped at Gananoque, Ontario, to make the obligatory phone call to Canadian customs and confess whether we had any firearms, food, alcohol or plants aboard. The young lady at customs was somewhat perplexed when I said, "Yes, we have food," and I explained that we live aboard the boat we are on. After a long conversation with her supervisor, she decided we could enter the country if we agreed not to take the food off the boat. An ingenious solution?
Our stop for the night is the Confederation Basin Marina in Kingston, Ontario, the oldest community in Canada. Presently, it is a cosmopolitan city with great history, restaurants, shops, and galleries. We ate a great French dinner at Chez Piggy (no kidding).
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