Summary
The Bobo Hotel, also known as Miss Mary Bobo's Boarding House and Grand Central Hotel, is a historic hotel and boarding house in Lynchburg, Tennessee. It was built for a Confederate veteran, and it later belonged to relatives of the owners of Jack Daniel's. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Bobo Hotel | |
 The hotel in 2014 | |
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| Location | Main Street, Lynchburg, Tennessee |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 35°17′03″N 86°22′10″W / 35.28417°N 86.36944°W |
| Area | 1.7 acres (0.69 ha) |
| Built | 1867 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 94000283[1] |
| Added to NRHP | April 7, 1994 |
History edit
The hotel was built in 1867 for Dr. E Y. Salmon, a physician who served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War of 1861–1865.[2] The second floor served as the Moore County courthouse from 1872 to 1880, while Salmon was county clerk/master.[2] Salmon became a Freemason, and he later moved to Nashville, where he died in 1914.[2]
From 1908 to 1982, the hotel belonged to Jack and Mary Evans Bobo, who ran it as a boarding house.[2] The husband died in 1948, and the wife became the sole proprietor.[3] One of her tenants was Tom Motlow, whose uncle was the eponymous founder of Jack Daniel's, the whiskey distillery.[2] In 1907, Jack Daniels gave his nephew Lem Motlow (also Mary's brother in law) and his cousin Dick Daniel the distillery when his health began to fail. Lem was also a state representative.[3] Bobo refused to serve whiskey in her boarding house.[3] She died in 1983, at age 101.[3] The Jack Daniels Distillery purchased the restaurant at that point and continued to operate it.[4]
Architectural significance edit
The building was designed in the Greek Revival architectural style.[2] It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since April 7, 1994.[1]
Further reading edit
References edit
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f Van West, Carroll; Franklin, Rachel. "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Bobo Hotel". National Park Service. Retrieved December 19, 2018. With accompanying pictures
- ^ a b c d "Lynchburg Hostess. A Last Farewell to 'Miss Mary'". The Tennessean. June 10, 1983. p. 13. Retrieved December 20, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Miss Mary Bobo's and the Restaurants of Lynchburg TN". April 2, 2022. Retrieved 25 Jan 2024.