The Wicklow Inn, named after County Wicklow, Ireland, the ancestral home of the O'Toole clan, is located in the North Central Texas town of Corsicana, which is home to over 23,000 friendly people. The 6,500 square foot historic Scales-Fortson mansion, built in the 1890's of California redwood, features a curved walnut staircase imported from France with a leaded glass window on the stairwell. The Inn has a huge front porch just begging for our guests to spend time swinging or rocking away their cares. Located near the Navarro County Courthouse, the Inn is convenient for shopping in the many antique stores in the downtown area. The Inn combines the warm hospitality of a Celtic inn with the comfort and convenience Americans have come to expect. It is an ideal place to sit back and enjoy a time from the past.

Taken at Christmas 2000 in the Wicklow Inn

  The exterior taken in 1939 with all the porch railings intact.

Notes:

• Link to: Wicklow Inn WebSite

• This was my grandparent's, Joe B. Sr. and Lyda Fortson, home from about 1922 or 3 to her death in December 1967  Ann Marcy 9/2003

• Interior and 1930 photos submitted by Ann Marcy 9/2003

11/19/2003 INSIDE NAVARRO COUNTY: Wicklow Inn accepted as historic accommodations

From Staff Reports

The Wicklow Inn Bed & Breakfast, located at 220 North 14th Street, Corsicana, has recently passed the rigorous inspection process and exemplary standards review to become a member of Historic Accommodations of Texas (HAT), the state organization of inspected inns, bed & breakfasts, guesthouses, and historic hotels. HAT is committed to the pursuit of excellence and provides quality continuing education to its members and to other innkeepers to enhance the level of professionalism in the industry.

Currently owned by Bob and Donna O'Toole, the property was built in the 1890's and has 7,400 square feet of living space, including the last of the carriage houses in town that housed horses and buggies, and features six beautiful guests rooms well appointed with the guests' comfort and safety in mind. The Inn is the home of The 1890's Tearoom, and is the ideal place for Weddings, Banquets, and private receptions.

The Wicklow Inn's membership in HAT is the public's assurance that the establishment is on the level far above the ordinary. Association members exhibit true Texas hospitality as well as meeting guidelines of excellence for cleanliness and safety.

With numerous bed & breakfast currently operating in Texas, HAT limits its membership to those accommodations that meet the exacting quality standards and qualifications that distinguish HAT properties as being the very best in the state. The HAT membership presently includes more than 150 properties, most of which are described in "The Great Stays of Texas," the official guide to Texas' finest bed & breakfasts, country inns, guesthouses, and distinctive hotels.

Innkeeping has been referred to by TIME magazine as America's "most envied profession." HAT offers educational seminars and conferences each year that include an Aspiring Innkeepers workshop, providing opportunities for people to learn more about the industry, the lifestyle, and how to get started.

To obtain a free copy of "The Great Stays of Texas" guidebook or for more information about upcoming conferences and workshops, call 1-800-HAT-0368 or visit the association's web site at www.HAT.org.

Corsicana Daily Sun