For several years Ted and Alease Kelly (natives of Jacksonville, FL) had planned to run a bed and breakfast some day. After visiting the Inn at Folkston in the Winter of 2012, they fell in love with the Inn and the Innkeeper, Janis. They were pleasantly surprised to learn the Inn was for sale and immediately realized this was meant to be their home and a place for them to serve the many guests that would come. By Summer 2013 the Kelly family (including daughter, Mariah) moved in to become the new Owners/Innkeepers.
Janis Richtmyer and Bill Whitaker owned the Inn from 2006 to 2013.
When Former Innkeepers Genna & Roger were first considering moving here, Folkston had no bed and breakfast, and according to the Chamber's executive director, there were many residents who thought the town needed one. In fact, there was an elderly lady selling a large home right down on Main Street...would they be interested in seeing it? The rest is history. Folkston would soon become their new home. After quickly selling their home in Virginia, Roger and Genna began a year's restoration of the 12-room 1920s heart-pine bungalow, working with contractor Bob Archer of nearby Blackshear, Georgia. In February of 1998, they opened Folkston's first and finest bed and breakfast.
When Roger and Genna purchased the house in 1997, it was 75 years old and had been home to nine previous owners. During that time, the house went through numerous structural changes at the hands of its many owners. The original heart pine of the interior of the home had been covered with plush carpeting, wallboard, dropped ceilings and paneling, and the window and door trim had been painted white. The exterior consisted of vinyl siding and shutters, and the porch railing had disappeared. In restoring the house, Roger and Genna made every effort to restore the home according to historic preservation guidelines.