Rising from the Rubble:
The Restoration of Boldt Castle 1977-2002

BILLIONAIRE MOGUL OF THE WALDORF-ASTORIA AND BELLEVUE-STRATFORD HOTELS LEFT HIS LEGACY IN THE THOUSAND ISLANDS OF UPSTATE NEW YORK.

In 1900, George C. Boldt, millionaire magnate of the Waldorf-Astoria and the Bellevue-Stratford hotels began building a multimillion dollar castle on Heart Island in the St. Lawrence River.  Constructed as a love gift for his beautiful wife Louise, it would take five years to complete the project.  However, devastated by her passing in 1904, Boldt ordered the work to stop immediately.

Thereafter, Mother Nature and vandals ravaged the venerable old landmark for more than 70 years.  During that time, summer boat tours brought as many as 200,000 visitors from around the world to Heart Island to view the legendary landmark.  In 1977, castle restoration began with the hiring of Dale Fikes.  Dale’s challenge was to remove the rubble, rebuild the deteriorated walls, and continue the work left undone when the 300+ workers were dismissed.

RISING FROM THE RUBBLE: THE RESTORATION OF BOLD CASTLE reveals the untold story of the first 25 years of rescuing it from its ruins and bringing it into the 21st Century.  Details of the work are enhanced with accounts of unexpected happenings and personal incidents known only to those involved.

Looking back, Dale considers his tenure at the castle as hectic days and sleepless nights.

The Walls Have Ears:
A Black Spy In The Confederate White House

When Mary Jane Bowser is hired out as a kitchen servant in the Confederate White House, she has a golden opportunity to gather Southern war plans.  Passing those plans on to a spy for the North could help bring about the defeat of the Confederate troops.  But she will be risking her life each time she slips out after curfew.  She must always be on guard and stay hidden in the shadows as much as possible.

That is difficult. Richmond streets overflow with soldiers.  Make-shift hospital tents are everywhere because the hospitals don 't have room for all the wounded.  And bounty hunters are there with their vicious dogs pursuing runaways out without passes.

Mary Jane is no coward.  But if in just one unguarded move, someone discovers the secret she's been keeping since her childhood, she will be hanged.

THE WALLS HAVE EARS is a great way to help commemorate Juneteenth (also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day, and Emancipation Day), the holiday celebrating the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the United States.  This year, Juneteenth is celebrated on June 19, 2021.

Specifically, Juneteenth commemorates Union army general Gordon Granger announcing federal orders in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, proclaiming that all slaves in Texas were free.

 

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NOTE: RISING FROM THE RUBBLE is also available in a softcover and Kindle Edition from Amazon.com.

Click HERE to view or order either edition from Amazon.com.

 

Special offer for autographed copies.
$16.95 plus $3.00 Shipping & Handling  (Sales Tax is INCLUDED in the price.)

To purchase THE WALLS HAVE EARS online, paying with PayPal or other credit card, click on the following link:

Want the book autographed?

YES, autograph the book ($16.95 + $3.00 S&H): $19.95 USD NO autograph please ($16.95 + $3.00 S&H): $19.95 USD

To whom:

To purchase THE WALLS HAVE EARS through the USPS,
paying with a check or money order, provide the following information:

Name: ____________________________
Mailing address: ___________________
Email address: _____________________

Book title: THE WALLS HAVE EARS
Number of copies: __________________@ $16.95 plus $3.00 Shipping & Handling
Shipping & Handling: $3.00 per book
Total amount enclosed: ______________

Do you want the book(s) to be autographed?
If so, provide an optional NAME for the book's recipient(s):
To whom: ________________

Send personal check or money order (made out to "HOPE MARSTON BOOKS") to:

Hope Marston Books
PO Box 710
Black River, NY 13612

NOTE: THE WALLS HAVE EARS is also available in a Kindle Edition from Amazon.com.
Click HERE to view or order the Kindle Edition.

Also available in Barnes & Noble NOOK Book (eBook) format:
Click HERE to purchase the NOOK Edition

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THE WALLS HAVE EARS: A BLACK SPY IN THE CONFEDERATE WHITE HOUSE, published by White Bird Publications, is a Charlotte Award 2021 Winner in the High School category.  The purpose of the Charlotte Award, named for the main character in E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web, is to encourage students to read outstanding literature and ultimately become lifelong readers.  My in-depth research of the war years makes this an authentic resource for social studies in junior and senior high classes.

Students in New York State are encouraged to read titles on the ballot and vote for their favorites.  New York State students can vote online at https://www.nysreading.org/content/nysra-charlotte-award-2021.