Miss Mary Bobo's Boarding House ..a brief history

Miss Mary Bobo's*

For great food with a side of history, visit Miss Mary Bobo's Boarding House House, just off the town square in Lynchburg, TN. Started as a traveler's hotel back in 1867, this is where Mr. Jack (Daniels) took many a noonday meal. During Miss Mary's time, most of the boarders who lived and took all their meals there were old bachelors like Tom Motlow, who ran the Farmer's Bank, and the federal agents assigned to regulate the Distillery. Miss Mary Bobo ran the place until her death in 1983, one month prior to her 102nd birthday. She also has the distinction of being the oldest woman ever to appear in pages of Playboy. Because of the ad, Miss Mary received thousands of birthday cards, 36 birthday cakes, numerous gifts and countless good wishes.

Today, Miss Lynne Tolley, Jack Daniel's great-grand niece, is the proprietress at Miss Mary's. In the spirit of her uncle, she is also a taster for the Jack Daniel Distillery and shares her tasting technique and drink recipes with friends.

Meals are served at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. (Central Time) Monday through Saturday, and we also have a 2:30 p.m. meal Thursday, Friday and Saturday. For reservations, please call Lynne Tolley at 931-759-7394. Our seatings fill up pretty fast, so it's best to make your reservations well in advance. Also, keep in mind that we're serving meals between 11 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, and between 11 a.m. and 3:45 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, so you'll get better results if you don't call during those times.

*Several recipes from Miss Bobo's are listed at the Jack Daniels site.