Turning Back the Clock

This century-old institution serves up down-home food and atmosphere.

By Diana Lambdin Meyer

When the old iron dinner bell rings at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. each day calling guests to the eight dining rooms at Miss Mary Bobo’s in Lynchburg, Tenn., it’s more than an occasion to enjoy some great Southern cooking. It’s an opportunity to celebrate a place in time when hospitality was ingrained in the lifestyle and not a commercial tagline.

Most people travel to Lynchburg, a tiny town an hour and a half south of Nashville, because of the Jack Daniel Distillery. What many consider the world’s finest and most mellow whiskey has been made in these hills and hollows for more than 140 years.

But after they’ve been to Lynchburg, many people return just for a visit to Miss Mary Bobo’s. Celebrating its 100th year of serving huge family-style portions of fried chicken, fried okra, cornbread muffins, ham and apples candied with the hometown product, Miss Mary Bobo’s is as legendary as Mr. Jack himself.

Shortly after Jack Daniel registered his still with the federal government in 1866, a local family built their home over a spring well and rented out rooms to travelers through the area. In 1908, a 27-year-old Mary Bobo purchased the property and ran a successful boarding house until her death, just a month shy of her 102nd birthday in 1983.

Mr. Jack, as he is known in these parts, took his midday meals at the table with Miss Mary. She was one of those cooks who always had enough to serve whoever sat down at her table, who threw in a bit of this and that, and who hired others who were masters of the same skill for her kitchen.

Today, it’s the great grandniece of Mr. Jack who carries on the Mary Bobo tradition.

Lynne Tolley sits down twice a day at the boarding house, welcoming guests with uncompromising grace, drawing all into the conversation and tracing the family tree through the complex lineage of Southern families.

After dinner, sit a while on the porch swing or in the front parlor and soak up the richness of the meal and the charming atmosphere. Such an experience can’t be bottled, brewed or marketed. It simply is and has been for 100 years.

295 Main Street, Lynchburg, Va.; 931-759-7394