Not all love stories have happy endings. Gratitude allows us to appreciate the high points in life, even during our worst hours. From rags to riches, George C. Boldt would build himself an empire, as well as build a living monument to his devotion to his wife.
Born in Germany in the middle of the nineteenth century to humble beginnings, George C Boldt would emigrate to the United States as a young boy to make his way in America. His first job working at a hotel would prove to later be useful in future endeavors. The path to success was filled with failures as well, such as George's chicken farm in Texas which was unsuccessful, which drained part of his savings. Returning to what he knew best, George Boldt worked along the East Coast in hotels, earning his way from steward to owner of a hotel. Branding his hotel as a luxury item, Boldt's hotels were known both for their high prices as well as their exceptional service.
During his time as a steward in the Clover Club in Philadelphia, George fell in love with the owner's daughter, Louise Augusta Kehrer. Despite George being 26 and Louise being a young 15 year old, their love and devotion for each other was strong. After falling in love, it only took a year before the two were married. Working as a team, Louise and George influenced the introducing the world to a new era in hotel luxury, implementing the new concept for that era, being 'the customer is always right'.
While vacationing in the Thousand Islands region of New York with his wife and family, George caught sight of a small island across from Wellesley Island, named Hart Island. After purchasing the island from the family of Elizer Hart, a newspaper mogel and New York Senator, he began his master plan. George employed over 300 workers to implement his creation, reshaping the island into a heart shape, renaming it Heart Island, and building a castle modeled after the Rhineland Castle in Germany. Investing over $2.5 million into the project, the end date of construction was Valentine's Day of 1904.
In January of 1904, Louise Boldt died, a month before her Valentine's present was to be revealed to her. Filled with grief over the loss of his beloved, George telegraphed the island and ordered all construction to be halted and for all workers to return home. George Boldt would never set foot inside his creation, a monument of devotion for his wife.
Years passed and the castle stood on the lonely island, withstand the harsh Northern New York winters and storms. For almost 75 years the castle was left for ruin, being slowly desecrated by the elements and vandals. In 1977 the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority took control over the island and aimed at a plan of reconstruction to rebuild the infamous castle on the picturesque St. Lawrence into the glory it once was. Today the castle sits at the heart of the Thousand Island region, with tours of the castle from May to November.
