SOLD! Famous Thousand Island Castle Crumbling For 70 Years Getting New Life

The famous mansion that has sat abandoned in the Thousand Islands for more than 70 years is getting new life. It'll be transformed from a crumbling castle into a beautiful bed and breakfast.

The Carleton Island Villa finally has a new owner and he's got big plans. Ronald Clapp, a Florida real estate investor bought the old mansion for $300,000. It was listed at $495,000 for more than a decade before recently being reduced to $375,000.

Crumbling Castle

The crumbling castle on Carleton Island in Cape Vincent, New York, was built in 1895 for William Wyckoff, the president of Remington Arms and Typewriter Company. Wyckoff never got to enjoy his home though. He died of a heart attack the night he moved in, according to Thousands Island Life. His wife is said to have passed away about a month before the mansion was finished.

Abandoned Over 70 Years

The villa was handed down to Wyckoff's youngest son Clarence and was used until around 1927. It has sat abandoned on a 6.9-acre island surrounded by almost a thousand feet of waterfront on the St Lawrence River for over 7 decades.

Giving History a New Life

Clapp wants to give history a new life and he knows it's going to take a lot of work to get it done. “It certainly is going to be a challenge, but I am looking for a challenge,” Clapp told NNY 360.

The first challenge will be to see what can be salvaged from the mansion. Clapp hopes to have a roof on before winter to prevent any further damage and then begin work on possibly turning the crumbling castle into a Bed & Breakfast with a restaurant on the first floor and accommodations on the upper floors. "Our hope is that the restoration of this home allows more visitors to experience all that this area has to offer."

You can follow the progress that will take years, at Carletonvilla.com.