Pork tenderloin from Lynn’s Restaurant. All photos by Loren Shaum.

By Loren Shaum
Columnist

Historian Ron Woodward summarizes Roann’s history at the Roann Library: Joseph Becker settled along the Eel River in the 1830s, then opened a tavern on what was called the Chippewa Pike – the main artery between Rochester and Wabash. The first bridge across the Eel River was built in 1841, and soon thereafter, the Detroit, Eel River and Illinois railroad came through, and the town grew. Eventually, a school was built, a bank established, and with three saloons, the place rollicked.

In 1855, the Stockdale Mill was constructed using hand-hewn hardwood and produced flour, wheat and animal feed for local farmers.

Other settlers followed, and in 1876, the Smith Bridge Co. replaced the original bridge with a Howe Truss-covered bridge.  This historic bridge measures 212 feet long and is constructed with a unique system of steel tension rods with turnbuckles to eliminate sagging.

Today, Roann is a town of fewer than 500 folks but continues to host the Roann Covered Bridge Festival every September.  There’s also a funeral home, a cemetery with likely more graves than residents, a town hall, antique stores, a pizza joint, Todd’s Corner (a gas station) and Lynn’s Restaurant.

Lynn’s

 Lynn’s opened in the early ’50s at a location that is now the town hall by Robert Lynn’s grandfather. Today, it’s located in what was once a hardware store and lawn mower repair shop and has become a must-stop for both adventurers and locals – especially farmers.

On this visit, I was sipping on a cold one when in strolled one of the local farmers, exclaiming: “Must be new folks in town!”  When we pulled up in front of Lynn’s, there were no cars on that side of the street, and on the other side, cars were parked parallel. We were quickly informed that there is angle parking on Lynn’s side of the street, so our car was obvious evidence that there was a new kid in town.

The farmer, Randy Schipper, parked at an adjacent table, and we quickly discovered that he’s an icon in these parts. He graduated from Akron High School and Ball State University, taught school, then became a farmer. Starting with a single farm, Randy now owns more than 2,000 acres. Although he’s very experienced in dairy farming (we learned more about robot milking and feeding techniques than we needed to know!), he now focuses totally on raising beef cattle.  

As the conversation flowed, the bartender and waitress extraordinaire, who grew up in Lake Country, asked: “The usual Randy?”  And indeed, it was his “usual” lunch of a side salad with Thousand Island dressing and two pieces of their famous white fish.  

I thought Chubbies had great whitefish, but Lynn’s is better! Lightly breaded, it’s flash-fried resulting in an extremely flakey slab of delightful fish.  

The menu is full of house-made items including four types of chef salads and their chicken and egg salads, both of which are highly recommended. Side choices also included macaroni and potato salads.

Chili is the only soup on the menu, but they highlight sandwiches. The “Specialties” are the gargantuan ‘Big Angus’, clubs and melts. For the latter, you can choose between a beef or turkey patty. Either way, they are very popular.  

There are an additional 14 sandwiches, but I decided to test the pork tenderloin, which can be grilled or fried. I went with the former and was not disappointed. The tenderloin was pounded thin and grilled to perfection. This tenderloin could be the best yet!

The menu offers whitefish by the piece, which caught my wife, Gayle’s, eye. She ordered two pieces, and they were huge.  She also ordered a half-order of fries, which was enough for both of us. I too, got fries, and my serving was overwhelming.  Talk about French fry overload, but they were excellent!  

Also, the macaroni salad side couldn’t have been made any better. Simply macaroni with a mix of mayo, sour cream and bits of onion and red bell pepper, it was a perfect side.

Roann is about an hour from Lake Country and is well worth the drive. We will go back for breakfast at Lynn’s.  Also, the Stockdale Mill remains open on Saturdays.

A view of the historic Roann covered bridge.