The Carleton Island Villa is a mansion that was constructed on Carleton Island (one of many), built in 1894, architect William Miller constructed the property for William O. Wyckoff, who made a fortune working with the Remington Arms Company to develop a typewriter.
It served as a strategic base for British military and naval supplies during the British war, as well as for clan mother Mary “molly,” who was powerful and allied the Iroquois nations with the British crown. It was previously known as Deer Island and Buck Island
In the War of 1812, the American army would capture Carleton Island. Additionally, by 1893, William Wyckoff had acquired approximately sixty acres of the island. It was not as successful as the shipbuilding and wartime effort.
In May of 1893, William O. Wyckoff, president of Wyckoff, paid Henry M. Folger and his wife $11,440 for the villa. After purchasing the area, Wyckoff began the building process. It was said that Wyckoff enjoyed being on the island most of the time and was in charge of the construction.
In 1895, his wife passed away within five weeks of completion. William Wyckoff also passed away at the age of 60 after spending his first night in the finished villa. Wyckoff’s family has owned the villa for nearly three decades after his death.
The villa was advertised as available for rent during the summer in publications like Country Life in America. In the 1920s, the G. Wyckoff family began selling a portion of the land. The property then went up for sale, but there weren’t any buyers for a while, so the villa was put up for auction, along with a lot of other property like livestock, sleighs, 70 tons of hay, and wagons.
The Wyckoff villa sold at the auction for $15,000.00.
Carleton Island was turned into a tourist attraction at one end into a historical site. Some members of the state senate talked about building a federal prison on the island for “habitual criminals”.
The wealthy landowners of the 1000 islands and Northern New York, defeated Senator Love Brooklyn who came up with the idea. Which party owns Carleton Island Villa?
Brothers Charles and William Millar, whose family has spent the summers on Carleton Island since 1900, purchased the historic villa in 1987 and alter it was sold to Ronald Clapp
It has been empty for more than 70 years.
