Boldt Castle
THE TRAGIC LOVE STORY ON HEART ISLAND
Article by Greg Rickman, Tiffin Ambassador
I recently had the privilege of attending the October, 2025 Tiffin rally at the Swan Bay Resort in Alexandria Bay, New York. It was my first time to ever go to New York state and certainly the first time to be so close to the Canadian border. This area is as far north as you can go in New York, where the I-81 interstate actually ends and Canada begins.
As is common with Tiffin rallies, there are always a lot of fun activities both on site and in the area to entertain and educate. This rally did not disappoint. To my excitement, I was thrilled to learn that this area actually had a REAL castle. A castle on its own island, one you could actually tour, although I interpret that to mean “play” in it. A castle called the Boldt Castle.
You see, as a young boy I always had a fascination with castles. And knights, and moats and islands. Most kids during my era did, as we had no internet or video games. We had just our imagination. I remember my first trip to Disneyland and the first attraction I wanted to go to was Tom Sawyer Island. The forts and tunnels were so cool. I wanted to play there all day. Guess I had an adventurous spirit.
I signed my wife and I up for a tour of the castle with Uncle Sam Tours, located on the St. Lawrence River in the quaint little town of Alexandria Bay. We had great weather that day, and camera ready, we set out by ferry for the short ride to the castle. I had no idea about the tragic history of this castle and the touching love story behind it.
THE BEGINNING
George Charles Boldt Sr. was born April 25, 1851 in Prussia, which is now part of several countries in modern day Europe. He immigrated to the United States at age 13 and started his first job as a kitchen worker, quickly rising through the ranks. At age 25, he was managing exclusive, high-end restaurants catering to the rich and famous.
At age 26, George married the love of his life, Louise. He then began to develop hotels with his first property being the famous Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia. He later went on to manage the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. This time period was known as the Gilded Age and was a very prosperous time for America. He accumulated great wealth there and was said to be worth around 25 million dollars, which is equal to about 900 million in today’s dollars. That was a massive amount of money for that time period.
In 1895, George bought a 5-acre island in the Thousand Islands area of northern New York for $20,000 that was known as Hart Island, to build a summer home for his family. Ever the romantic, he then had the island re-shaped in the form of a Valentine’s Day heart and renamed it Heart Island. He and Louise would visit there for the next few summers and thoroughly enjoyed the island. From that, the idea of Boldt Castle was born.
A TRIBUTE OF LOVE AND TRAGEDY
George so loved Louise that he decided to build her a castle as an anniversary present. Not just any castle, but a full-sized Rhineland style castle. Beginning in 1900, an army of three hundred skilled workers began construction on the six story, 120-room castle that included six different structures, tunnels, a drawbridge and Italian gardens. These workers were not just skilled, they were artists of their trade. Stonemasons, carpenters, tile masons and actual real artists worked diligently every day for the next four years to create the perfect anniversary gift. No expense was spared and no detail was missed. It was to be a true testimony of the love and devotion George had for Louise and their children.
There are numerous rooms and even whole floors still under restoration. You can still see where vandals wrote their names and even the year of their trespass with some even taking pieces of plaster as souvenirs. All of the rooms on the first floor and second floor have been restored and furnished. The second floor houses the gift shop and theater, where visitors can view a 16-minute documentary about George Boldt and the castle. Most of the rooms on the third and fourth floors are unfurnished, but there are exhibits of pictures and original artifacts of the Thousand Islands region during the time period that George and Louise lived.
Then, in January 1904, tragedy struck. Louise died suddenly at the age of 42. George was devastated. Heartbroken, he telegraphed the island and ordered all construction to be stopped. Three hundred workers laid down their tools and left the island. George never returned to the island again. The castle project died when Louise did. George passed away twelve years later.
For the next 73 years, the castle sat empty and abandoned. It must have been an eerie, spooky place. Teenagers and vandals would frequent the island, doing a lot of damage to the castle interior. But the weather was responsible for the most severe damage. Wind, rain and extreme snowy winters took their toll on the castle, both interior and exterior.
SAVING THE CASTLE
In 1977, the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority purchased Heart Island and the castle property for $1.00 from the Boldt Estate. The caveat was that all money collected from any source be put back into restoration of the castle and the related buildings. Since that time, millions of dollars have been spent on renovating the interior and the rehabilitation of all of the structures on the island, as well as the Boldt Yacht House, which is located on nearby Wellesley Island.
The efforts to save the castle are quite impressive. The grounds are meticulously landscaped and the Italian gardens are beautiful, with flowers and large trees shading the property. There are many benches along with brick-paved walkways which are perfect for having a picnic (which is encouraged), or just taking in the warm sun and the breeze from the river. There were several couples there getting their pre-wedding photographs made with the gardens and the castle as the back drop. It couldn’t have been a more perfect setting.
The interior of the castle is being restored one room at a time. Just as in the beginning, no detail or expense is spared. The furniture is all handcrafted and ornate, just as George would have built it. Even the dishes and wall coverings are exactly as Louise would have wanted.
There are numerous rooms and even whole floors still under restoration. You can still see where vandals wrote their names and even the year of their trespass with some even taking pieces of plaster as souvenirs. All of the rooms on the first floor and second floor have been restored and furnished. The second floor houses the gift shop and theater, where visitors can view a 16-minute documentary about George Boldt and the castle. Most of the rooms on the third and fourth floors are unfurnished, but there are exhibits of pictures and original artifacts of the Thousand Islands region during the time period that George and Louise lived.
Some rooms are also left unfurnished to give the visitor an opportunity to imagine what the castle looked like before the restoration efforts. The basement is mostly unfinished, with a swimming pool and a long tunnel passage to the Power House. There are even large crates of unopened tile still left from the original construction. At the edge of the island, a large peristyle archway stands as the intended original entrance way for boats to the island. The bridge connecting the two sides would have been raised and lowered as required.
DETAIL AND DEVOTION
The whole property is quite stunning. There was so much detail put into every aspect of this restoration that I could have spent days just looking through every room, floor and tunnel. The work they have done so far is truly incredible. And George Boldt’s devotion to his family is equally incredible. To think that a man could love his wife so much that he could dream of such a wonderful present is amazing.
I took that short ferry ride to see my first castle that I envisioned from my childhood playful fantasies. It only took a short time to forget all of that and immerse myself in the history and beauty of this place. And the love story, however tragic, behind it. Guess I’m a bit of a romantic myself.
About the Author:
Greg’s dream was to own a motorhome after his retirement from a long career in law enforcement. He and his wife Tina live in Baneberry, TN part of the year and travel this great country in their Tiffin Phaeton 40IH, enjoying the excitement of exploring new places and meeting new people. Their motto is “If you can’t wear shorts, flip flops and a t-shirt, we ain’t going!”
