LAKE ONTARIO, N.Y., Aug. 2, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Now's your chance to join the likes of Johnny Depp, Leonardo Di Caprio and the Forbes family as a private island owner. A more than 260-acre private island in the Thousand Island region, near Cape Vincent, N.Y., will be sold at auction on August 24 at noon.
The island, located at the eastern end of Lake Ontario at the headwaters of the St. Lawrence River, was previously owned by the late New York Governor Horace White. It has rolling pastures, dense hardwoods, a deeded duck marsh, six miles of pristine shoreline, as well as a lodge filled with early 1900s Gustav Stickley furniture, and a private harbor, dock and runway. Fox Island is one of the last remaining wholly owned islands in the Thousand Island region.
"It's a wonderful retreat -- a great place to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life," says John Folds, a Washington, D.C. businessman who has owned the property for four years.
Helping Folds with the sale is Jim Woltz, president of Woltz & Associates, a national auction company based in Roanoke, Va.
"The island is perfect for waterfowl and nature enthusiasts, as well as avid fisherman," says Woltz. "With the Finger Lakes in upstate New York getting so crowded, many buyers are looking for more privacy and peace and quiet. The St. Lawrence River area is rich with history and beauty, and Fox Island is easily accessible and just a few minutes off the shore of Cape Vincent."
The turn-of-the-century lodge, renovated in the late 1900s, includes eight bedrooms, five baths, kitchen, formal dining area, living room, game room, hunting and fishing storage room, as well as a four-bedroom guest house. In the last 100 years, there have only been four owners since Gov. White purchased the island in 1905. Gov. White filled the lodge with more than 40 pieces of handmade, American craftsman-style Gustav Stickley furniture, which date from 1905 to 1910. These antiques, many which have Stickley's original signature, will be sold immediately following the sale of real estate. Well-known "Antiques Roadshow" host/auctioneer Ken Farmer (www.kfauctions.com) is handling the sale of antiques.
The island will be offered at absolute auction, which means there is no mandatory minimum bid. However, the auction company is suggesting a starting bid of $1 million, and will require a 10% deposit at the conclusion of the sale. Interested buyers can preview the island on Aug. 4, 5, 11, 12, 18 and 19 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Aug. 24 from 9 a.m. to noon. Boats depart Martins Marina at 10 a.m. and run until 5 p.m. on the preview dates. On the day of the sale, boats begin running at 9 a.m.
For more information, visit www.woltz.com and click on auction calendar.
Photos available upon request to tracy@visitaccesspr.com.