Did area folks enjoy Mother’s Day dinner here in the “old days”? If the Elms were open these days, you could enjoy Sunday dinner here, then go on down Marshall Street to visit the Dexter Museum (which is open Sunday afternoons from 1:00-3:00 from May through October). The restaurant was across White Pole Road from the historic lighted DEXTER sign.

From a January 1, 1948, article in the Dexter Sentinel: Pictured above is an institution rapidly becoming known to travelers for good eats. It is another one of the high quality places that is helping to place Dexter on the map. Getting its name from the stately trees that tower over it “The ELMS” is well named. The sign also states their slogan, their watchword, their goal. “Fine Foods”.

Entering the front door, visitors step into the front porch, a favorite spot for meals in the summertime. Next to this is the main dining room which connects by archway with the smaller room with its quick-lunch counter. A door leads to the private dining room where so many wedding parties, clubs and other groups seeking fine foods and good service come with reservations.

The Quarter Back Club meets in The Elms every Monday morning for coffee and doughnuts. Of course some days the doughnuts are cookies, or nutbread sandwiches, or some other tasty morsel. A sort of an athletic club, as one might guess, from the name, but also a group of civil boosters, sponsoring events for the good the the town, and particularly for the good of the young athletes of the community, it is also active in boosting The Elms.

What makes “Fine Foods” an actuality and not merely a slogan is the skill of the chef, Jesse E. Ross. For years a chef in the Des Moines Club, Jesse has the “know-how” so necessary to produce really fine foods. He is assisted by a partner, “Red” Martin. Mrs. Martin devotes practically all her time to The Elms, and Mrs. Ross might be called part-time help. There are two other women, regular employees, with others called in for special occasions.

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I discovered even more fascinating information about Jesse Ross through findagrave. He was the son of Jesse America Ross and Elmyra Carmire Ross, was born December 27, 1910 at Dexter and died May 16, 1986 at Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines. He married Gladys Hill March 1, 1943 in Chicago.

During his early years he worked as a painter with his father then as a cook in Dexter, Adel and the Des Moines Club. He served in the United States Army from April of 1942 until December of 1945, most of the time in France as a baker in a field hospital.

In 1947 he opened the Elms Cafe in Dexter in partnership with O.W. Martin, purchasing the Martin’s share in 1949. The Elms closed in 1957 due to health reasons. When his health improved he worked as a woodcrafter, making furniture from Iowa walnut until his health declined.

Jesse Ross was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Dexter, served on the volunteer fire department for 40 years, was a council member, then mayor for six years during the 1960s and was cemetery sexton for many years.

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The house still stands, on the SW corner of White Pole Road and Marshall Street, just south of this historic sign. When I first featured The Elms on the Dexter (Iowa) Historical Museum’s Facebook page, several people noted that they own a walnut grandfather clock created by Jesse Ross.