Collin Street Bakery
Originally opened two blocks north of this permanent location, Collin Street Bakery has served the Corsicana community since 1896. The owners, August Wiedmann, a German immigrant from Wiesbaden, and W.T. McElwee, a local cotton buyer, got into business together after realizing their strengths were the perfect combination: Wiedmann loved stepping into the kitchen in an effort to outdo his own baking, and McElwee had a business flare that was unrivaled. What resulted was a bakery with a rooming house above that put up famous transients like baseball players and circus performers, who would in turn send Wiedmann’s famous fruit cakes all over the world. Soon, a fruit cake from the bakery became a Christmas classic for many, and the success of the business brought in celebrities like vaudeville star Will Rogers, Italian opera singer Enrico Caruso, and the great circus showman, John Ringling.
