Happy New Year's Eve Walleye Drop! Gifts for you (see details below)!

Happy New Year 2012 to you! I am accepting any interesting stories or photos regarding the Thousand Islands area or the St. Lawrence River that will help us get through this winter. Interesting stories from other parts of Upstate or Northern New York State (and nearby Canada) will be considered too, especially if it relates to river, lakes, castles or nature themes.

If I choose your story or photos to run here, while supplies last, you will win a brand-new 1GB USB Flash Drive, also known as a Thumb or Jump Drive. (Once per person, although your submissions are always welcome). It is a full gigabyte in capacity! Great for transferring data from computer to computer, or for storage. If you don't need a flash drive, ask me for my huge list of other free gifts available. (This offer may be discontinued at any time without notice). This blog concentrates on the area's two famous castles (Singer Castle and Boldt Castle), but the whole area is tied in together and therefore relevant. Please email submissions or questions to: mailbox [at] gold-mountain [dot] com (remember the dash), or send to P.O. Box 123, Jamesville NY 13078.

For our diehard fishing fans (and for anybody looking for something very unique), have you ever watched the New Year's Eve walleye fish drop in Port Clinton, OH at midnight on the web?  Or you can watch NewYork City's famous ball drop on your computer. Yes, its a wonderful life indeed!

Marjorie Bourne - A force to reckon with in speedboat racing during the early 1900s.

Marjorie Bourne, daughter of Commodore Frederick G. Bourne, won the above trophy in the 1911 Thousand Islands Yacht Club speedboat race. (Photo by Patty Mondore, copyright Gold-Mountain). Marjorie and her boat, called the Moike, are pictured below. The antique speedboat can still be seen today in Clayton's Antique Boat Museum in the Thousand Islands.

F.G. Bourne brought the Singer Sewing Machine/Manufacturing Company to its worldwide success. He also had built what is now called Singer Castle on Dark Island, a famous tourist destination spot. After his death, Marjorie owned the castle for many years.

Meet the owner of Singer Castle, Dark Island!

Above, Farhad Vladi co-owner of Singer Castle, Dark Island. Picture courtesy of (and copyrighted by) Vladi Private Islands, (per Kim Lunman). Click on photos to see them larger.

Below, pictured again is co-owner of Singer Castle, Farhad Vladi with the President of Singer Castle, Tom Weldon. Photo courtesy of (and copyrighted by) Vladi Private Islands, per Kim Lunman, photographer and author.

Meet (in a virtual way) the co-owner of Singer Castle, Farhad Vladi, by reading this fabulous article in the online Thousand Islands Life Magazine. (The article first ran in Kim's beautiful print magazine, Island Life). This is a very interesting mini-biography of a successful business man by the award winning writer Kim Lunman, so check it out and enjoy!

Floating Castles at Singer Castle

On Sunday, July 31st those in the vicinity of Singer Castle noticed a veritable flotilla of yachts making their way downriver toward Dark Island.  After checking in with customs at Boldt Castle, thirty yachts most ranging in size between 30 and 65 feet came to the island for AquaPalooza 2011.  AquaPalooza is a series Sea Ray sponsored on-water celebrations held during the last two weekends in July at more than 100 locations around the world.   The participating boats were docked on both the North and South sides of the castle and the passengers enjoyed an evening of socializing, dinning and dancing on the Castle Greens followed by an overnight stay. This was the second AquaPalooza cruise to Singer Castle from Hurst Marina in Manotick, Ontario Canada.  Event organizers found that AquaPalooza 2010 was so well received that they decided to return in 2011.
  
Singer Castle staff welcomed the group’s return and enjoyed seeing the floating “castles” that were manufactured by Sea Ray, Meridian, Cobalt, Viking, Chris Craft and Doral. Several of the larger yachts came equipped with every convenience one would ever want or need for an enjoyable cruise: kitchens with stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops, stoves, microwaves, refrigerators, freezers, icemakers, wine storage, beds with pillow top mattresses, full bathrooms, TVs, DVD players, Stereo systems, washers and dryers, GPS and so on.  One could easily live on board for months at a time.

Above report and photo direct from Dark Island's Jean Papke, Administrative Assistant to Tom Weldon, President of Singer Castle.

Commodore Frederick G. Bourne's Weathervane at Singer Castle Restored

Pictured above: Singer Castle Tour Guide, Brianne Langtry of Brier Hill, with the castle’s newly polished weather vane. Click on photo to see it larger.

As early as ancient Roman times, weather vanes were used to show wind direction.  They were particularly useful to mariners who utilized wind direction and sky conditions to predict short-term weather conditions.  Commodore Frederick Bourne was an avid sailor and in 1902 when he had his castle constructed on Dark Island, he had a unique weather vane crafted to place on the highest peak of the castle’s roof.  The weather vane connected to a wind dial inside the castle allowing the Commodore or any of his guests to judge wind direction at a glance.  Constructed of brass with copper finials, the weathervane had a brass pennant style flag with a “B” on it that would cause the vane to turn as the winds changed direction.   Crossed arms with brass letters for north, south, east and west were fixed below the upper section of the weather vane and the flag’s position in relation to the letters would indicate the wind direction to those outside of the building. 

The weather vane is still operational today and Singer Castle staff members have spent that past two weeks cleaning and polishing the parts of the weather vane so that it will once again be a shining fixture for visitors to see on the roof of Commodore Bourne’s castle.

Above dispatch and photo by Jean Papke, Administrative Assistant to Singer Castle's President Tom Weldon. Below, photo of Singer Castle's weather vane in place before restoration, by Bob Mondore. Click on it.

Antique Boat Museum, Clayton NY - Authors Autographing Books 8/6/2011

Robert (Bob) and Patty Mondore will be among North Country (New York State and Canada) authors that will be autographing books this Saturday, August 6, 2011 from 2:00 pm to 4 pm at the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, NY (750 Mary Street, Clayton, NY 13624

Phone: 315.686.4104) to benefit the museum.

Famous authors Ian Coristine (1000 Islands Photo Art) and Anthony (Tony) Mollica are scheduled to be there, as well as others.

Bob Mondore (this blog's author and founder of Gold-Mountain) will be giving away free gifts, so be sure to stop in to say hello if you are at the boat show. (Remember: Saturday 8/6/11, from 2:00 pm to 4 pm only). The museum has stocked our books Singer Castle Revisited and River-Lations.

Singer Castle: Through the Eyes of a Tour Guide

Pictured: Griff Stark-Ennis, author of this post.

(Click on photo to see it larger.)

This past Monday, as I rode the staff boat across the St. Lawrence River from Chippewa Bay to Dark Island, I glanced up as I drew nearer to my work destination. There Singer Castle sat gloomy and enigmatic against the distant Canadian landscape, draped in a summer’s heavy rain. I found myself wondering how I came to be a tour guide there. How is it that this historical and mysterious castle became my summer job and what exactly makes it special to me?

Last summer after attending college orientation in Boston I received a call from Singer Castle on Dark Island Tours explaining that they were seeking to fill a position at the castle. Like any other soon-to-be college kid, I was in great need of spending money so needless to say I accepted the position. I soon found myself memorizing hundreds of historical facts and stories preparing for my first tour, one that every “newbie” dreads. Now, I can proudly say that I have a well-structured, informative and – in my opinion – fun tour, one that took many days of practice and embarrassment to perfect.

One may think that giving tours day after day would get monotonous, but the truth is I find myself learning new things every day. Whether our historian finds something new for us to include in our tours, or if I, myself, come across some small but important castle detail, I am constantly learning, discovering and adding. But what about Singer Castle inspired me?

Singer Castle in itself represents something that every young American, like me, is striving to achieve: the “American Dream.” Frederick Bourne, the original owner of the castle, worked his way up from choirboy to president of the Singer Sewing Machine Company making him one of the wealthiest men in the world at that time. The castle stands as both historical and modern proof of what persistence mixed with big dreaming can bring one in life.

I consider myself very lucky for two reasons, the first being that I am fortunate enough to have a summer job in a time when many teenagers in the United States are left seasonably unemployed. The second reason is also the greatest reason I look forward in coming to Singer Castle every morning…and that’s the fact that I actually enjoy my work! I am on a beautiful river all day inside an equally as beautiful castle, working with students – both high school and college – who share many of the same aspirations as I.

Behind the walls of Singer Castle lies an eclectic and diverse sort of family, who together aim to educate people from all over the world about the great history that these very walls have witnessed. History is very much intertwined with the present, however, and I myself am becoming a part of Singer Castle’s historic greatness every day I am there. Like Mr. Bourne, the castle employees and I are seeking to better ourselves through teaching others and working hard. Stepping back into history to change the future? Sounds like an all right summer job to me.

This post received direct from Dark Island. Authored by the talented tour guide: Griff Stark-Ennis.

Hammond Historical Society Display at Singer Castle

Thanks to the generosity of the Hammond Historical Society (near Black Lake in NY State), Singer Castle on Dark Island has a new display for visitors to view in the Great Hall.  Visitors will be able to see a beautifully designed evening dress in early 1900s style displayed on a turn of the century dress form.  The bodice of the dress laces in the back and is made of black velvet that is decorated with designs in black jet beading. The bustled skirt is constructed of a fine striped silk in a pale gold color.  It is difficult to imagine the efforts that the ladies of that era would make to fit into a garment with such a tiny waist. On the hat rack a gentleman’s black beaver felt top hat, a ladies hat and a hand woven coverlet are on display.

The above dispatch and picture are direct from Dark Island. Click on the photo to see it larger.

Business After Hours at Singer Castle

The Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce held its monthly Business After Hours event at Singer Castle on Thursday, July 21^st.  One Hundred Eighty-two chamber members from businesses all over the Watertown-North Country area cruised downriver from Alexandria Bay on Uncle Sam Boat Tours “Island Dutchess.” While enjoying their cruise to Dark Island, Singer Castle Historian Judy Keeler shared some of the castle’s history and they were treated to a delicious supper catered by RJs Catering from Adams Center. 

Upon arrival at Singer Castle one half of the group joined castle staff members for a tour while the other half was treated to dessert and coffee on the South Dock.  After the first group of guests completed their tours and returned to the main dock for dessert, the remaining guests had their chance to tour the castle.  In spite of the high temperatures all of those involved enjoyed the experience.

 

The After Hours Event was cooperatively sponsored by Uncle Sam’s Boat Tours, Watertown Sam’s Club, River Bank Gallery and Blue Heron Coffee, RJs Catering and Singer Castle. Uncle Sam’s provided transportation. Bottled water, set ups and desserts were provided by the Watertown Sam’s Club.  Coffee was provided by the Riverbank Gallery and Blue Heron Coffee, RJs catering provided the evening meal and Singer Castle provided the destination.

Above dispatch and picture received direct from Dark Island.

Woodstock is not in the 1000 Islands... Or is it?

While not the famed Woodstock Music & Art Fair of 1969, noted architect Ernest Flagg’s rendition of Woodstock Palace as described by Sir Walter Scott in his 1826 novel – Woodstock - The Cavalier: A Tale of the Year Sixteen Hundred and Fifty-one was built on Dark Island in the 1000 Islands in 1903.

Virtually forgotten today, the original Woodstock went through many incarnations between 1007 and 1720. It is first mentioned in connection with the early English Kings Alfred the Great and Ethelred the Unready who lived 978-1016. In 1129 King Henry I had seven miles of wall built to enclose Woodstock Park for hunting. Around 1160 King Henry II turned the hunting lodge into a palace and much to the displeasure of his wife, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, used it to house his mistress Rosamund de Clifford. This was where he had his first clash with Thomas Beckett, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who was then murdered by forces loyal to the King. King Richard the Lionheart and his brother King John I of “Robin Hood” fame were frequent visitors and King Edward III brought his entire court to Woodstock in 1330. In the late 1400s, Tudor King Henry VII, who restored stability to the monarchy after the War of the Roses, undertook major renovations of the palace at Woodstock. It is recorded that King Henry VIII frequently came to stay and hunt there in the early years of his reign. By the mid-16th Century, Woodstock, which had sunk into disrepair, was used to imprison Princess Elizabeth for nearly a year before she became Queen Elizabeth I of England. During the English Civil War (1642-49) the palace was used as a royalist garrison and was briefly visited by King Charles I. King Charles II used it during the conflict with Cromwell’s armies, who heavily damaged the property. From that point on the palace sank into ruin and was eventually torn down.

In the early 1900s Frederick G. Bourne of New York City hired the renowned architect Ernest Flagg to design a “small” hunting lodge that was unlike any other castle in existence. Flagg, who had just read the novel Woodstock, would use Scott’s description of Woodstock Palace as an inspiration for the new castle because the original was demolished in 1720 at the direction of the Duchess of Marlborough, who was overseeing the construction of Blenheim Palace near the original Woodstock’s location.

Today, Bourne and Flagg’s version of the Woodstock Palace, now known as Singer Castle, has become a popular destination for tours, overnight stays and weddings in the 1000 Islands region. (Blenheim Palace situated in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England is a tourist attraction as well as the family residence for the Dukes of Marlborough).

The above dispatch and pictures were received directly from Dark Island.

Hot off the digital press: Thousand Islands Life article on Singer Castle

Kim Lunman, owner and publisher of the quality Island Life Magazine, just had an article about Singer Castle on Dark Island published in the wonderful online digital magazine Thousand Islands Life.

Click here: (Thousand Islands Life) to go directly to the article. Enjoy the rest of this excellent magazine too!

Happy July 4th weekend!

Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

It has been said that the price of freedom is not free. Throughout the years it has required a lot of work and sacrifice to maintain our freedoms.

Below is a picture of the making of parachute harnesses in July 1942 with a Singer Sewing machine (during World War 2). Location: Manchester, Conn. USA.

Next we have our allies on the British Western front in France using Singer Sewing machines to repair army boots during WW2.

Murder in Winger Castle! Only a short time left to help solve this case!

Singer Castle on Dark Island will be hosting a murder mystery benefit where all proceeds will go to the River Hospital in Alexandria Bay, NY. Scripted by the River Hospital Auxiliary.

The theme: The owner of "Winger Castle" was murdered and guests will have the opportunity to discover who did it through evidence gathering as they explore the castle.

Event time: Wednesday, June 29, 2011, passengers will board an Uncle Sam tour boat for a dinner cruise to Dark Island. Retro into the 1920s (but there is no Prohibition), then hear the reading of the will at the castle and try out your own sleuthing. Be Sherlock for an evening.

You must call now as time is very short for this unique evening of fun and suspense. Tickets are limited.

Cost: $85 or $160 per couple (remember, all proceeds benefit the River Hospital).
For tickets: Call Judy Randall at (315) 482-4049 or River Hospital Foundation at (315) 482-4976.

Dressing for the period is encouraged and there will be prizes.
Click on the poster above to see it larger.

A Quick Taste: History of Singer Castle.

 Commodore Frederick G. Bourne and his wife Emma are the couple in the center of the gathering. Click on the photo to see it larger.

Singer Castle – A Family Place

The five-story red roofed castle on Dark Island was built in the early 1900s as a "small hunting lodge" for Frederick Bourne who was the President of the Singer Sewing Machine Company from 1889-1905. Bourne and his family loved spending time at "The Towers" in the 1000 Islands and enjoyed the many activities that were available to residents and visitors alike. Boating, sailing, racing, tennis and golf were popular with the family in the summer and in the fall Bourne and his friends came for the duck hunting. After Bourne’s death in 1919 his youngest daughter Marjorie and her sister, May Bourne Strassburger purchased the castle from the estate. Marjorie Bourne and her husband Alexander Thayer continued to use and enjoy the castle with friends and family until the early 1960s.

From the mid-1960s to 2001 the castle, then called Jorstadt Castle was owned by the Dr. Harold Martin Evangelical Association and used for religious retreats and services. During those years families came to the castle for Sunday worship during the summer months.

In 2002 Dark Island was purchased by a group of island and castle enthusiasts who opened the castle for guided tours, overnight stays and weddings and special events. Now called Singer Castle after the source of much of Frederick Bourne’s fortune, it is once again a family place. Visitors of all ages enjoy coming to tour the fully furnished building and hearing about time gone by in the 1000 Islands. Overnight guests can pretend that they are the Kings and Queens or Princes and Princesses of the castle and Brides and Grooms can have their own Royal Wedding.

After visiting friends and "family," you can now keep track of the castle by visiting us on facebook, or by checking out the following websites:
singercastle.blogspot.com, www.singercastle.com, and www.thousandislandslife.com.

The castle is also featured in several recently published books and magazines including Bob and Patty Mondore’s Singer Castle Revisited, Patty Mondore’s River-Lations: Inspirational Stories and Photos of the 1000 Islands, Ian Corstine’s The very best of Ian Corstine’s 1000 Islands, Kathleen Quigley’s The Summer Cottage: Retreats of the 1000 Islands, Scott Ian Barry’s The Castles of New York, Mike Harwood’s The St. Lawrence River Rats and The Mystery of Singer Castle, Island Life Magazine published by Kim Lunman. Wealth TV has produced a feature on Singer Castle as part of a series entitled "Palatial Passport" and PBS continues to air its feature on Singer Castle.

Call 1-877-327-5475 for more information on Singer Castle.

The above dispatch and photo were received this day directly from Dark Island's president, Tom Weldon.

 

Powerful Picture of Singer Castle on Dark Island

Above is a powerfully beautiful shot of Singer Castle enveloped in fog with a large ship passing by. Photo taken by Jean Papke who is the Administrative Assistant to the castle's President Tom Weldon. Click on the photo to see it larger.

Post Author Extravaganza in Liverpool NY

We had an enjoyable time repping the Gold-Mountain line at the Liverpool Public Library celebrating National Library Week with an offering of our books and DVDs. At the same time we informed many about the wonderful 1000 Islands region and Singer Castle on Dark Island tours. We donated our hot-off-the-press book (River-Lations) to the library and had many enjoyable conversations with those who stopped by. We were particularly happy to have been able to give special encouragement to some who visited. Our thanks to the library staff for their hospitality. You can "Like" us on Facebook.

Central New York State - Local Author Extravaganza!

More than a dozen local authors from Upstate New York will converge in Liverpool NY (near Syracuse) on Sunday, April 10, 2011 (from Noon to 2:00 p.m.). Occasion: National Library Week. Location: Liverpool Public Library, 310 Tulip St., Liverpool NY 13088 (315.457.0310). See map. Books will be available for purchase and autographs.

Robert and Patty Mondore will be there with multiple works, including the new River-Lations book, Singer Castle Revisited (book) and the DVD documentary featuring Singer Castle: "Dark Island's Castle of Mysteries". Other Gold-Mountain works will be available too. As usual from Bob, many prizes will abound, so be sure to visit our booth. Click on the following image to see it larger:

Authors scheduled to be at this event:

Robert & Patty Mondore

James Bruno

Holly Gaskin

Susan Peterson Gately 

Mike Langan

Markus J. Mastin

Sean Leahy

Bill McGee

Ronnie Richardson

David Rosenberg

Joseph Sweet

Victoria Underwood

Beverly Ann Wernet

Stan Wilczek

New Year gifts for you! And the Walleye Drop for New Year's Eve (Midnight).

Happy New Year to you! I am accepting any interesting stories or photos regarding the Thousand Islands area or the St. Lawrence River that will help us get through this winter. If I choose your story or photos to run here, you will instantly win a brand-new 1GB USB Flash Drive (also known as a Thumb or Jump Drive). It is a full gigabyte in capacity! Great for transferring data from computer to computer, or for storage. This blog concentrates on the area's two famous castles (Singer Castle and Boldt Castle), but the whole area is tied in together and therefore relevant. Please email to: mailbox [at] gold-mountain [dot] com (remember the dash), or send to P.O. Box 123, Jamesville NY 13078.

For our diehard fishing crowd (and for anybody looking for something very unique), have you ever watched the live walleye fish drop in Port Clinton, OH at midnight on the web? ("Live" meaning you can see it in real-time through their webcams on the web). If you are watching the New Year's Eve ball drop down in New York City on your TV anyway, you can have this on your computer going at the same time. Yes, a very exciting life indeed!

Merry Christmas!

For your online Christmas celebration, here is an extraordinary site with all kinds of interesting links: Peggy's Christmas Place.

Paradise Market - Dewitt/Syracuse NY & Gold-Mountain

Do you live in central New York State and are looking for an interesting and inspiring gift related to the Thousand Islands? Gold-Mountain's inspirational multimedia (DVDs, CDs and books) which features documentaries and music videos with the lovely St. Lawrence River's region as the backdrop. We are well represented in the Islands and Watertown, but now are represented in the Syracuse area at the Paradise Market with an enormous parking area. 


[Update 1/2/11: The holidays are over and our rep is no longer available at Paradise. But I still recommend the wonderful Paradise Market, and you can still order at Gold-Mountain.com with our renowned service and free surprises.]

Paradise Market is located at 3179 Erie Blvd. in Syracuse/DeWitt NY 13214 in what used to be the Hechinger Plaza. Billed as "fun for all", it is an 80,000 square feet shopping bazaar with over 200 shops and restaurants under one roof, and is well heated. The market is only open every Friday (12 p.m. through 8 p.m.), Saturday and Sunday (10 a.m through 6 p.m.).

Where can our multimedia be found in this enormous bazaar?

We are located right in front of King David's Restaurant stand near the enormous "rest rooms" sign. 

Below is the floor plan where we easily can be found.

The red dot below is where Photos by "K" (owned by Karen) can be found and prominently displayed there is a boat with our unique gift DVDs, CDs, and books. The green dots are at the main entrance of the building. Also featured in this (red) spot are photos by Linda Long Photography. (Click on any of these pictures to see them larger).

Note the boat-shaped display below which contains the special booty.

Visit us at www.Gold-Mountain.com online to get a taste of Bob and Patty Mondore's works.

Items on the boat at this time include:

"Dark Island's Castle of Mysteries" - the renown Singer Castle on Dark Island documentary DVD; 

Singer Castle Revisited - book; 

River-Lations - music video DVD; 

A Good Paddling - book; 

Heaven & Nature Sing - music video DVD (music CD also available); 

Proclaim His Praise in the Islands - music video DVD (music CD also available); 

Wondrous Love - music CD; 

Treasure of Your Love - music CD.

Please email  me with any questions. Let me know how your experience is at the Paradise Market.

[1/2/11 UPDATE:   The holidays are over and our rep is no longer available at Paradise. But I still recommend the wonderful Paradise Market, and you can still order at Gold-Mountain.com with our renowned service and free surprises.]