Walter did not work as a tablemaker for a Wabash firm. Oftentimes, the only marking on vintage tables is “Walter of Wabash,” and since this is usually located on the wooden extension slide, it is commonly assumed that Walter was the original furniture maker. B. Walter & Co. is responsible for the sliding extension alone.
Bossler Walter and his business partner, Thomas Hennessey, purchased a Huntington, West Virginia, factory that made wooden furniture slides in 1884. Since slides allowed a smaller family table to be converted into a more suitable eating area for a party or formal dinner, they were in high demand. The company’s headquarters moved to Wabash, Indiana, and has been there ever since. Numerous makers of tables of varying types have used the slides for decades.
