Dent County Museum, Salem
November 2025
Members of the museum board, which operates the museum, are “interested in preserving the history of Salem and Dent County for future generations,” explains Jo Ann Wells, board president. Most of the board members, all of whom are volunteers, have deep roots in the county and take turns working at the museum when it is open on Sunday afternoons. For example, A.J. Seay, who was on duty the day we visited, says his mother’s family has been in the Sligo/Short Bend area since the 1860s and his father’s family in Salem since the 1870s.
As the sign in the front yard says, the museum began “with a gift from the late Margaret Ray Vickery in 1971.” The museum board bought the home in the early 1970s and converted it into the museum, which opened on May 30, 1976.
Although he was not the original owner of the house, the late William P. Elmer was its most famous resident and was responsible for the addition of the third floor. Elmer, a lawyer, was the first U. S. congressman from Dent County. Many of his descendants still live in the area.
The museum is holding the first William P. Elmer Day on Saturday, October 11. Rick Mansfield, well-known historic interpreter from Ellington, will portray Elmer and share the history of Elmer’s family and home. Homemade cookies and lemonade, plus a performance by the Community Choir, are part of the planned festivities.
The first two floors of the museum are furnished as they would have been in the early 1900s. The third floor features special collections, including a jeweler’s workbench, children’s toys and vintage typewriters. There’s a reproduction—although smaller—of the Liberty Bell, which was cast in honor of the nation’s bicentennial in 1976. There are several outbuildings, including a cellar with a viewing area and an open carriage shed. Tall oak trees shade the yard and the Spring Creek Garden Club maintains the flower beds.
Dent County Museum is located at 400 North Pershing Avenue. The phone number is 573-729-6331. The museum is open from 1-4 p.m. Sundays, from the last Sunday in May through the last Sunday in October, plus special events. Other dates or group tours are available by appointment by calling Jo Ann Wells at 573-729-2643. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. Memberships are available for $10 per person per year or $100 per person lifetime.