Community

Local couple pens book on restoration of historic landmark

Although they were reluctant to do so, Gerald D. Borland and Hope I. Marston have published a book about the restoration of Boldt Castle.

Borland of Carthage, an aspiring poet, craftsman and ex-farmer, met Marston of Black River, a well-known children's book author, through writing in 2016. Seeking to have a poem published, Borland sought the author's advise.

Over the past several years, the two have grown close and had many adventures together including participating in the Over the Edge fundraiser for The United Way of Northern New York in which they repelled 115 feet down the Watertown Housing Authority's Midtown Towers.

The writing of "Rising from the Rubble The Restoration of Boldt Castle 1977-2002," with Dale and Carol Fikes is their first writing venture to come to fruition.

For years, family and friends had urged Fikes, retired director of construction, engineering and maintenance for the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority, to write down his stories of the restoration of Boldt Castle. Fikes was hired to oversee the work on the historic landmark in Alexandria Bay in 1977 when the bridge authority took ownership.

Last year, while giving a friend and her visitor a tour of the castle, Fikes was reminded he had knowledge of the historic building which no one else had. The friend, Sharon Peck, suggested Marston and Borland might be interested in the writing endeavor.

The couple refused at first. As they grew closer in their relationship over the past few years, Marston limited her writing commitments to spend more time together.

While considering the project, the writers asked Fikes to provide notes on the restoration.

"I knew he was a clerk of the works," said Borland. "It was like a report not a story."

"They took my notes and made it a story," said Fikes.

Pulling a picture from the unbound book which was then in the editing phase of development, Fikes began the story of the pedestal light at Boldt Castle's Alster Tower.

George C. Boldt, millionaire owner of Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, built the six story, 120-room mansion on Heart Island as a tribute to his wife, Louise, with a central theme of hearts. Upon the death of Mrs. Boldt in 1904, the unfinished home was abandoned.

Over the years, the mansion fell into disrepair, was vandalized and had items stolen by trespassers.

Pointing to the photo of the light-fixture with heart-shaped bulb inclosures, Fikes said it was "saved by an admirer of the castle." He told of the clandestine return of one of the inclosures which blacksmith John Scarlett used to recreate the light.

It was this story and others which convinced the writers to take on his project to document the restoration.

"Dale twisted my arm with interesting things," Marston said.

Borland said he was intrigued by the methods used complete the restoration projects.

"It was an excellent report but totally uninteresting," he said.

Fikes clinched the deal by taking the writers on a tour of the castle.

"I used the right bait to hook them," said Fikes.

Marston said she remembered visiting Heart Island prior to the acquisition by the bridge authority and found the mansion dangerously in disrepair.

One of the first challenges was to make the tourist attraction safe while keeping it open to the public. To accomplish both missions, Fikes said they would start many projects each fiscal year but not complete them once safety issues were addressed.

The first year there were 90,000 visitors according Fikes and that number has more than doubled in recent years.

Another early challenge was to repair, replace and upgrade the infrastructure. A sewer upgrade and installation of restrooms was needed to accommodate the influx of visitors. Electrical systems were replaced, the water supply was upgraded and pathways were installed.

Since the castle is on an island everything – building materials and construction debris – had to be transported by boat or brought across the ice in winter.

Fikes points out that he had done none of the restoration on his own – it was a team effort.

"I was the orchestra director – they made the music," he said, adding that the logistics of working on an island eliminated the use of some machinery so there was a lot of manual labor involved.

Fikes' "swan song" project was the restoration of a stain glass dome. To accomplish the project, Fikes learned how to make stain glass creations which he has further pursued during his retirement.

Martson said the writing of the book was a true collaboration.

"Jerry wrote some chapters, I wrote others – it was real teamwork. He got the facts straight, I don't know anything about construction," she said.

The 102-page paperback book includes color photos by several photographers including Borland's daughter, Diane Peebles. The book cover was created by Patrick Danforth.

The book, at a cost of $17.95, will be sold at Boldt Castle and in area businesses including The Ship in Alexandria Bay, Adirondack Outpost Antiques in Harrisville and Morrison's Furniture in Watertown, as well as through Hope Marston Books.

For more information, email Hope@HopeIrvinMarston.com.