Evening High School - Owl Yearbook (Reading, PA)

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THE OWL 95 HEART ISLAND AND ITS POWERS by Laura Ebling George C. Boldt was born in Prussia of very poor par- ents. As a boy he often strolled along the Rhine and admired the grand old castles on its banks. I-Ie dreamed that some day he, too, would build a castle and live in the shade of its magnificent stone walls. In early youth he came to America, he became the world's greatest hotel man, owner of the Waldorf-Astoria of New York and the Bellevue-Stratford of Philadelphia. Thirty years after coming to America, Mr. and Mrs. Boldt saw the Thousand Islandsg they were so impressed with the beauties of them that Mr. Boldt called on G. K. Hart and bought Heart Island, an island shaped like a heart. The first white man ever to discover this island was Samuel de Champlain, who was so struck by the natural beauties ofthe island that he mentioned them all through the journals of his travels. Boldt's dream, which was eventually realized, was to turn the island into one huge estate, on which were eleven buildings, the central one being his castle. The huge castle was built large enough to accommo- date one hundred guests and servants. The reception room, ball room, dining room, billiard room, and library are located on the first and second floors. The upper floors are devoted to beautiful, spacious bed- rooms, each room is large enough to give sleeping quarters to whole families. The rooms are attractively decorated, and at one end is a brick fireplace over which are hung lovely old tapestries. A Winding stairway leads from the first to the second floor. The most attractive room is the dining room with its handcarved furniture of walnut, and its iioor of many beautiful colors and varieties of imported woods. 'lhe Walls are decorated with many old paintings. At one side of the castle is an Italian garden which is

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94 THE OWL school all within eight blocks on Thirteenth Street. It is one of the three towns in the Commonwealth of Pennsyl- vania to offer free evening' high school training to its citizens. ' There are such tongue-twisters as Fourteenth-and-a- half and Fifteenth-and-a-half Streetsj The natives outen the lights and inthe winter anyone who owns a sled can be found coasting on the rutchie. The delectable menus prepared by the women of Berks County are known far and wide, among which can be found such lip-smacking dishes as ponhaus,'?i schnits und knepp, and ufastnachtsf, The splendid record of the Police Department, the Board of Health, and the Civic Organizations are com- mendable. Many residents of Reading were originally from some foreign land but have come to love this fair city and have become naturalized citizens. It makes no difference whether man, Woman, or child, each can refer with pride to this typical American community in saying f'My Home Town. A BELOVED E. Britton ' Beloved, Why do you stay from me, Beloved, So far away from me ? Beloved, Day after day, for thee, Here am I writing. X Beloved, Do you not know how far a dream can go? How lonely the heart can be ? How empty arms ache for thee ? ' Beloved, Why do you tarry now ? Beloved, beloved.

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96 THE OWL laid out on a rock plateau. The rocky shores of the pla- teau readily lend themselves to landscaped gardens and massed shrubbery. The little summer homes scattered about the island are so beautiful and colorful that they seem to be placed there by nature herself. Birds sing and bees hum and gather honey in the love- ly gardens around the castle. At the western end of the island is built a large pond for swans, and at the southern end is a smaller pond for fish. There are the large fields for those who like polo, and each summer the polo tourna- ments climax the season. The yacht house directly opposite the castle is one ofthe show places ofthe island and here are kept the boats which were included in the property of the Boldt estate. There is a beautiful boat-house with eight bedrooms, and baths. It has a reception room, steam heat, electric lights, open fireplace, and all conveniences one could expect. An artistic rustic bridge over one of the canals leads to the tennis house. Then there are Swiss chalets, unique in architecture and beauty, overlooking a beautiful View in everyfdirection. Q f All this was the dream of one man and one woman. It was to be a tribute of love. Over two million dollars had been spent on the Boldt estate when Mrs. Boldt passed away. The army of workmen droppedtheir tools, and the place became deserted. Birds and bats took up there abode in the dusty halls. Spiders wove their webs over marble fireplaces. Boys threw stones into the plate glass windows. Although Mr. Boldt came to the St. Lawrence River after the death of his wife, he never again visited Heart Island. .