Longue Vue Island
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Longue Vue Island is one of the many islands in the Thousand Islands area on the Saint Lawrence River. The island is on the American side of the river, right next to the Seaway Channel. It is also specially known as it is the only artificial island in the entire region. It was owned by Dollinger Corporation and, after the Tax Laws were changed in the 1970s, was owned by the son of Dollinger Corporation founder Louis Dollinger, F. Leslie Dollinger for many years until in 1994, it was sold to an Arizona businessman, Al Warring who is currently the owner.
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[edit] Construction
The island and the house and boathouse that are situated on it were built in 1904. The island was constructed on three rock shoals, by building a rock wall around the shoals from a nearby quarry, then filling the area in with rock and soil. The construction was done by Barney and Chapman. In the 1990s, construction was done to the boathouse to repair it, as the building was starting to fall into the river. New rock walls were placed in the building to stop the descent. The upstairs of the boathouse was also altered to include a full wet-bar, and more space, especially up on the roof. No alteration construction work may be done on the outside of the house, as it is registered on the National Register of Historic Places.
[edit] Island layout
The island has a house on the center, and the house is approx 7,000 sq. ft. The boathouse, while smaller, can hold 3 boats, and has a second floor which includes a game room with wet bar. The flagpole (which was originally on the top of the house) is on the western tip of the island and has a plaque next to it noting the fact that the founder of Dollinger Corporation, Louis Dollinger, died on the island. There is plenty of lawn space on the island, enough for possibly a volleyball game or more, and swimming space, including a dock and a waterslide. The one problem with swimming, as noticed all along the river, is the river currents are so fast, you have to be careful to not be swept away. It is a beautiful three story home of rich character. It includes a kitchen, small breakfast room, large living room, dining room, and large screened-in porch surrounding the house on two sides on the first floor. The second and third floors are mostly bedrooms and bathrooms. In addition to the grand four sided open stairwell, the second floor is connected to the kitchen on the first floor via a small spiral stairway hidden behind a closet door, presumably intended for servant use. The basement of the house, in the way back, one of the three shoals the island was built on can be seen sticking out of the floor and wall. Bats are also commonplace on the island, where they occupy hidden spots in the house during the day and are literally everywhere at night. For a brief period of time an attempt was made to kill the bats using tennis rackets, which proved to be moderately successful. In the end, the bats remained in the house. The island is within a short boatride of Boldt Castle, a castle constructed in 1900. An evening boatride to catch a view of Boldt Castle at night has the potential to be an exhilerating experience.
[edit] Ghost stories about Longue Vue Island
The current owners of Longue Vue Island have declared that they have seen the ghost of Louis Dollinger roaming the house at night time. The son of former owner Leslie Dollinger, Doug Dollinger, also has believed to have stated that he saw the painting of Louis Dollinger that used to be in the dining room come alive at night time and tell him to get off the island back in the 1970s.
