Dark Island facts for kids
Dark Island is a cool spot in the Thousand Islands area. This region is found in the Saint Lawrence Seaway, which is a big waterway. Dark Island is close to Chippewa Bay. It's part of the town of Hammond in St. Lawrence County, New York.
A famous building on the island is "The Towers." For a long time, people called it "Dark Island Castle." But now, it's known as "Singer Castle." The island is very close to the border between Canada and the United States. This border runs right through the river.
The castle has 28 rooms. These include bedrooms, bathrooms, a big drawing room, a library, and a kitchen. Inside the castle, there are secret passages. You can get into these passages from different spots. One secret panel in the library used to open when you pulled a special book from a shelf.
The south side of the island is near a shipping channel. This means big cargo ships often sail past the island. The water here is deep on one side and shallow on the other. This makes it a great place for fishing. You can catch fish like largemouth bass and northern pike here.
Building Singer Castle
Most of the castle's design was done by Ernest Flagg. He was a famous American architect. His client was Frederick Gilbert Bourne. Mr. Bourne was the president of the Singer Manufacturing Company. This company made the famous Singer Sewing Machine.
Frederick Bourne's daughter, Marjorie Bourne Thayer, added more parts to the castle in 1928. Ernest Flagg also designed the Singer Company's skyscraper in New York City. At that time, it was the tallest building in the world! Flagg also worked on many other big projects. One was the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.
Singer Castle was one of the last "castles" built in the Thousand Islands. Many castles were built there between 1888 and 1905. Mr. Bourne started his castle project around 1903. This was when the even bigger Boldt Castle was almost finished nearby. The architect designed Singer Castle to look like a castle in Woodstock, England. This English castle was described in a book called Woodstock by Sir Walter Scott.
Who Owned the Castle?
Frederick Bourne passed away in 1919. His daughter, Marjorie, then took over the property. Her brother tried to claim ownership, but Marjorie kept the castle.
After Marjorie passed away, a religious group bought Dark Island. They were called the Brothers of the Christian Schools, or the Christian Brothers. They also bought a large house called Indian Neck Hall in Oakdale. This house later became La Salle Military Academy.
The Christian Brothers didn't have much use for the island castle. It was far away from their main activities. So, in 1965, they sold Dark Island for about $5,000. It was bought by a charity called the Harold Martin Evangelistic Association.
Singer Castle Today
When the new owner, Dr. Harold Martin, moved in, some neighbors questioned the property's tax-free status. They said he was using it as his private summer home. But Dr. Martin won in court. He showed that he and his wife held a religious service on the island every Sunday. Everyone was welcome to attend. During this time, the castle was called "Jorstadt Castle." This was Dr. Martin's family name before he moved from Norway. Later, the castle's name was changed back to "Singer Castle."
Over more than 30 years, some of the castle's original items were lost. Some were stolen, and others broke down because they were expensive to fix. People started to hear rumors about the castle. Its new name didn't sound like a charity. There were stories about secret passages and even a dungeon. All these things made Dark Island seem even more mysterious and romantic.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Dark Island was put up for sale. Ads for it appeared in fancy real estate magazines. They suggested it could be a "private residence, corporate retreat or hunting lodge." People from far away, like Japan, were interested. But the castle didn't sell until 2001.
In 2001, a company called Dark Island Tours, Inc. bought the castle. This company was started by a German businessman named Farhad Vladi and two European partners. Mr. Vladi also runs a company that sells private islands.
Dark Island Tours, Inc. worked hard to fix up the castle. They wanted to open it to the public for tours. Tours started in 2003. Even though some things were lost over the years, the inside of the castle still looks much like it did originally. Most of the furniture from the Bourne-Thayer family is still there. Unlike Boldt Castle nearby, Dark Island was always a private home. It only opened for public tours recently.
In 2006, Dark Island was listed for sale again. It was offered for $22 million through Sotheby's International Realty.
Images for kids
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Singer Castle in 2009
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View of the castle and its boathouse
