Stella Salmon Hill

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, some folks leave a mark on a place. Stella Salmon Hill left a whole library.

She came to Texas in 1908, making her way from Arkansas, and East Texas had no idea what was about to walk through the door. She started teaching, first in Rusk, then in Alto, working those classrooms the way only a person with a real calling can. Then in 1919 she married Dr.

James C. Hill, and if you think that slowed her down any, well, you would be wrong. Teacher, civic leader, social leader, religious leader.

Cherokee County had found its champion, and Stella Hill had found her cause. She poured herself into East Texas, the beloved East Texas she made her own, and the community felt every bit of it. So when the time came to honor what she had given, they didn't put up a plaque and call it done.

They named a library after her. The Stella Hill Memorial Library. That's the kind of mark that doesn't wash away in the rain.

That's East Texas saying, we remember.

What the marker says

Moved to Texas, 1908, from Arkansas. Taught in Rusk and Alto before marrying Dr. James C. Hill in 1919. Teacher, civic, social and religious leader who championed her beloved East Texas. Stella Hill Memorial Library honors her name.