Veteran castle worker, 84, to 'sale' away

WHO: Minnie T. Hartman, 84, Alexandria Bay, is a living witness to the transformation of the historic Boldt Castle and Yacht House. Ms. Hartman, a third generation Wellesley Islander, began working at the castle and yacht house as a cashier shortly after the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority acquired the properties in 1977.She is retiring Sunday.

To honor her dedication and hard work over the past 31 years as a seasonal worker, the Bridge Authority has declared Monday "Minnie Hartman Appreciation Day."

Q: HOW DID YOU GET A JOB AT THE CASTLE?

"As a matter of fact, I used to work at a local variety store and my friend told me about a cashier job at the castle. So I checked to see if I could get a job. I got a job and stayed there for all those years. I've worked 27 years at the castle and this is my fourth year at the yacht house. In fact, before me, my great-great-grandfather, two of my great-uncles and my dad all worked for Mr. Boldt."

Q: WHY ARE YOU RETIRING? ANY RETIREMENT PLANS?

"I all of a sudden decided that it's time to retire. This summer has gone so fast, it's almost unbelievable. I've enjoyed being there. We all had a good time. I'm going to miss everybody.

"I'm going to paint a lot. When I paint, I just lose all sense of time. I started painting when I was 65, and that's also when I learned how to golf."

Q: ANY SPECIAL OR FOND MEMORIES?

"I worked eight hours a day in the spring and fall and nine hours a day in the summertime when we were busy until Labor Day. We had a lot of people coming all the time. I got to meet all sorts of people from all over the world.

"I think the castle was first opened to the public in 1958 but there wasn't much there. Admission was 50 cents each and people could only go to the first floor, and there really wasn't much on the first floor. The guys (at the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority) had a lot of work to do. And I'm glad they got it going."

Q: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF THE NEWLY RENOVATED CASTLE?

"Oh, gosh. I don't know. I like it all. The grand staircase looks really good now. The ceiling dome is really beautiful, too. It has all these different kinds of colored glass in it."

Q: WHAT WAS IT LIKE GROWING UP ON WELLESLEY ISLAND?

"Well, I was born and raised on Wellesley Island. I was a Christmas baby, I actually lived on the island for 68 years before I moved to Alexandria Bay. Back in the old days, we rowed over to the Bay and had to cross the ice in the winter. That's how kids went to school. That's how we did it."

Q: DID YOU EVER SNEAK INTO THE CASTLE AS A KID?

"I went down there all the time with my older brothers. The first time I was just a kid, maybe five or six, wasn't very old. We skated down there."

Q: THERE'S A "MINNIE" WRITTEN SOMEWHERE ON THE CASTLE WALLS, ISN'T THERE?

"There's no 'Minnie' written on there. My grandfather would have killed me if I did! — and my mother, too. I was supposed to be a good girl."

If you have an idea for a Times Q&A, contact staff writer Jaegun Lee at jlee@wdt.net