“There are two good places to eat—home and here.” That was the motto of Zinke’s Restaurant on Tappan Road in Norwood, shown above as it looked in the 1920s.
The New Year’s advertisement for Zinke’s dates back 90 years to late December of 1928. Imagine a turkey dinner with all the trimmings for $1.50! The interior photo below dates to the same time.
If Zinke’s looks familiar, it might be because you remember the place when it was Stegemann’s in the 1970s. However, the building itself went back much, much farther.
Built circa 1770, it was originally the residence of blacksmith Christian Campbell and his wife, Dirkje.
In 1789, the Campbells sold the house to Capt. Thomas Blanch, a prominent patriot and soldier of the Revolutionary War. Blanch and his wife, Effie, had an unbelievable (though not so uncommon for the day) 13 children, nine girls and four boys. In the early 1800s the house was a way station for stage coaches.
Throughout the 20th century a number of restaurants operated in the historic structure. Many longtime Northern Valley residents remember it as the place where their parents were married, as it was a popular location for wedding receptions throughout the years. In 1983, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The restaurant was known as Timothy’s Table at the time when it burned down in the early 1990s. After the fire another restaurant never opened there. Residences were built on the land.
—Kristin Beuscher