Carmi has a population of 4,770 and is the county seat of White County, which is along the Little Wabash River.  It is located on Illinois Rt. 14, which runs from south of Du Quoin to the New Harmony (IN) Toll Bridge; it is 16 minutes from I-64.

Banterra established a Carmi branch in 2002.  It is located at 1310 W. Main St., near McDonald’s and Rice Motor Company and is across the street from Dollar General.  Banterra supports the Carmi community in various ways including Christmas Lights of Hope and the famed Carmi Corn Days.  Carmi Corn Days began as Agriculture Community Day in 1928 and since “corn is king” in Carmi, was changed to Carmi Corn Days in 1929.  The annual event is the second weekend of October and is put on by the Kiwanis club.

The first settlers arrived to Carmi largely between 1809-1814, first arriving to the land office in Shawneetown, which was a port for flatboats traveling the Ohio River, then by Wabash and Little Wabash Rivers.  A log cabin, built in 1814, is the oldest house in town and was used as the courthouse when White County was established in 1815.  Carmi, founded in 1814 and named due to its references in the Old Testament of the Bible, was chartered in 1816.  Captain Leonard White and Lowry Hay were the two joint proprietors of the proposed town site, and the county was named after White.

Four U.S. presidents – Abraham Lincoln, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower and Barack Obama, have all made speeches in Carmi.  Famed speaker William Jennings Bryan did as well.

Agriculture was White County’s main industry until 1939, when oil was discovered in fields of the Wabash River Bottoms. The population of Carmi doubled within two years, from 2,700 to 5,400, with many workers migrating from Texas and Oklahoma.

Today, in addition to oil and agriculture industries, Carmi has industries for auto parts manufacturing, plastics and coal mining.  Martin & Bayley Inc., the company which established and operates Huck’s Convenience Stores, is based in Carmi.  They have more than 120 stores throughout Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennesee.

Carmi-White County CUSD #5 includes a high school, junior high and elementary schools including Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Brownsville, as well as a pre-kindergarten facility.  This area is home to the Carmi-White County Bulldogs.

Thank You for Choosing Banterra Bank in Carmi, Illinois 

Banterra Bank knows you have your choice of Carmi banks. Through attentive customer service and products that help you manage your finances well, we work hard to earn your business. Thank you for choosing Banterra Bank and the Carmi branch.