1417 Eighth Avenue
Fort Worth, TX
Even though I visited the Texas White House Bed and Breakfast during daylight hours, I had a strange, spooky feeling about it. It is located across from a hospital in an area of Fort Worth that feels somewhat secluded. Of course, this bed and breakfast is close to almost everything—from the Kimbell and Amon Carter museums to Bass Performance Hall and the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame, as well as the nightlife in Sundance Square and the Stockyards. Still, it feels as though you have stepped back in time. The main building has three large rooms with private bathrooms and sitting areas, while the carriage house has two suites with fireplaces, whirlpool tubs for two, and saunas. What more could you ask for, right? Maybe a few ghosts?
The ghost is said to be the husband from the family that once owned the house, and he haunts the room that used to be his bedroom. Interestingly, the only paranormal incidents ever reported in this house have happened to women staying alone in this particular room (the Lone Star Room). According to the story, a woman feels as though someone is getting into bed beside her or is already lying there. Of course, when she looks, no one is there. Things like lights and cell phones behave strangely in this room—turning on and off by themselves or ringing for no reason.
The house was built in 1910 by a man named Bishop. Bishop sold it to the Newkirk family; the head of the household had four sons and worked in investment banking, which went well until the stock market crash of 1929. The house remained in the family until 1967, when the last Newkirk who still considered it “home” died.
Afterward, several different businesses took over the house, but the bed and breakfast is its latest incarnation. The renovation took a long time, and it has been open since 1996.
Could it be the ghost of William Newkirk, who has returned to make sure that his “home,” no longer in the family, is being properly maintained? If you are a woman and brave enough, it is certainly worth spending the night here to find out.
