Information
Landmark: Singer CastleCity: Thousand Islands
Country: USA New York
Continent: North America
Singer Castle, Thousand Islands, USA New York, North America
Overview
Perched on Dark Island in the Thousand Islands, Singer Castle-once called “The Towers”-is a grand historic mansion along the St. Lawrence River, just a short boat ride from Chippewa Bay, New York.People know it for its striking mix of medieval-inspired Gothic Revival design, hidden passageways that echo with hushed footsteps, and a history deeply rooted in early 20th-century American industry.Frederick Gilbert Bourne, president of the booming Singer Sewing Machine Company, commissioned the castle, a grand project born in an age when Singer’s polished brass machines sat in parlors across the country.Between 1903 and 1905, Bourne built it as a private getaway for his family, complete with a hunting lodge tucked deep in the woods.Drawing on the romantic allure of medieval castles-especially Sir Walter Scott’s *Woodstock*, with its royal hunting lodge and hidden tunnels-the designers shaped the castle to radiate mystery and grandeur.Architect Ernest Flagg designed Singer Castle, a four-story granite fortress shaped by the steady hands of Italian stonemasons.The building holds 28 rooms, from a soaring Great Hall with echoing floors to an ornate library, a cozy drawing room, several dining rooms, and welcoming guest quarters.The castle’s most striking feature is its five-story clock tower, where the original 1908 mechanism still ticks steadily after more than a century.The design weaves in medieval touches-turrets rising at the corners, jagged battlements, and tall gothic arches-so it stands like a small stone fortress.Step inside and you’ll find rooms lined with antique furniture, gleaming suits of armor, and rich period décor, each piece echoing the lavish tastes of America’s Gilded Age elite.The castle hides secret passageways, concealed doors, and a dungeon; its most famous trick is a panel in the library that swings open when you pull a certain dusty book, revealing a narrow, shadowy corridor.After Bourne died in 1919, his daughter, Marjorie Bourne Thayer, inherited the place, its oak desk still bearing his ink stains.LaSalle Military Academy bought the property in 1961, when the oak trees out front were heavy with summer leaves.A few years later, the Harold Martin Evangelistic Society bought it, gave it the name “Jorstadt Castle,” and turned it into a religious retreat where the scent of woodsmoke lingered in the cool evening air.In 2001, Dark Island Tours, Inc.bought the castle, repaired crumbling walls and faded woodwork, and by 2003 welcomed visitors as a historical attraction.These days, Singer Castle welcomes guests from late April until the chill of October, when the lake breeze turns sharp.On a guided tour, guests wander through the castle’s echoing halls, hear stories of its storied past, and squeeze into the shadowy passageways and hidden rooms that set it apart.You’ll spot the Great Hall with its sweeping staircase, the dimly lit library hiding secret doors, and the clock tower still ticking with its original brass and steel clockwork.Guests can spend the night in the castle’s Royal Suite, savoring a candlelit dinner and a hearty breakfast, for a rare taste of how the wealthy Bourne family lived in the early 1900s.Singer Castle sits on Dark Island, a short boat ride south of the Canada–U. S. border in the St. Lawrence River, where the water runs cold and clear.You can only get there by boat, the engine humming as you cut across the water.Most visitors arrive at the castle on guided boat tours that set out from Alexandria Bay or Chippewa Bay, New York, gliding past rocky shores and pine-fringed islands.The island has over 400 feet of dock space, so private boats can tie up while visitors wander at their own pace, maybe pausing to watch the water ripple against the pilings.Singer Castle stands as a striking showcase of Gilded Age private estate design, blending the warm patina of history with vivid tales of industrial fortune, family heritage, and clever architectural craft.Careful preservation and restoration have turned it into a beloved landmark in the Thousand Islands, where visitors wander through echoing halls and soak in its mysterious charm and historic grandeur.
