Within an article written Jan. 21, 1954, by W. P. Elmer, former U.S. House representative for Missouri’s 8th district, he describes a table and its history in detail, stating: “The First National Bank of Salem has a heavy solid walnut table in its Director’s Room, that cost $1,000. It was made by Roy Wirthlin of Salem, and is a work of art. The trees were grown, sawed out, milled, and finished in Dent County.”
The table used to call its home at First National Bank, 403 North Jackson Street. Chuck Whitmire, the son of Charles and Shirley and great grandson of W.P. Elmer, stated that the boardroom table had paid witness to around 55 years of bank board meetings. He estimated that around 500 meetings were had around the table before it was finally taken into his family home after the bank had been sold.
Chuck’s grandfather and father had both been presidents of the bank. After the bank was sold, Chuck was moved out and married with family, so he’s unsure of how the table ended up at his parent’s house—but he’s pretty sure that his mother had something to do with it.
The table had sat in Shirely and Charles home for around 30 years, where their families had enjoyed gatherings and meals together until just recently. When Shirley passed away in August 2023, her children Karen Carmier and Chuck Whitmire decided the table should be given back to the community—more importantly, back to its original home.
“I couldn't think of anything more than my mom and dad, or grandparents would have enjoyed,” said Chuck, regarding the donation of the table back to the library.
After many attempts at coordinating schedules for the families, volunteers, and the library, the table and ten chairs were moved back to their former home. It took twelve people simply to move the table, shared Kate McBride, library director. Several others were active in relocating the chairs, loading, and measuring doorways.
“It was donated by the generosity of community members to be used for the community, and the community volunteered to move it,” said McBride. “So, I think that speaks highly of Salem.”
McBride shared that the library was delighted to accept such a generous offer, and that it was a fantastic opportunity to further embrace Salem and Dent County’s history. She added that the library was also in need of an upgrade for its conference room, where the table and chairs are now located—as they had previously been using a folding table and folding chairs.
“It was on the wish list of the previous director and the library board to have a nice formal boardroom table and chairs—we've been using folding chairs up to that point,” said McBride. “So, this fulfilled a wish for the library that was out of our reach, and thanks to the generosity of Whitmire and Carmier family, here we sit.”
Discussions around the table continue to this day—with book clubs and programs continuing to make use of the grand table. McBride shares that many children also make use of the table when they play with LEGOs or other STEM toys—in which case, the table is covered with a cloth to keep it protected.
The Salem Public Library moved to its third and current location, the former US Bank building, in September 2015. This location used to be where the First National Bank was, then it was First Start, until it was U.S. Bank. Now, the address is home to the Salem Public Library—and a very unique table with a unique history.
