Editing Rock Hill, Missouri (section)

== History ==
James Collier Marshall settled what became Rock Hill around 1832. He and his brother John Marshall purchased 800 acres along Manchester Road where he and his brother built a log building that operated as a home and store.<ref name="Early"/>

[[File:Rock Hill Fairfax House 1910.jpg|thumb|left|Fairfax House in 1910.]]
In 1839 James built a two-story weatherboard home, naming it [[Fairfax House (Rock Hill, Missouri)|"Fairfax"]] after a family friend in Maryland, Albert Kirby Fairfax, [[Lord Fairfax of Cameron]]. A year later the property was divided between James and John Marshall when James married Elizabeth Kyle McCausland (she is related to The Robert Campbell Family of St Louis thru the Kyle's). Fairfax was completed the following year.<ref name="Early"/><ref name="Personalities"/> James and Elizabeth had five children who lived to maturity. A son, Ernest, the only to marry and have children, raised two sons.

James Marshall sought to build a church and requested the services of the Presbyterian Church of St. Louis, which sent Rev Artemus Bullard to assist Marshall in 1845. A Presbyterian congregation was established in Rock Hill in March 1845, and met in a log house on Marshall's property while the church was built on land contributed by Marshall for a church. Though there is no written proof, it is assumed by many that slaves built the church using stone quarried from the Marshall farm quarry. Rev. Bullard gave the church the name "Rock Hill Presbyterian Church," presumably after two geographic features in the area, which became the namesake of the area. In 1866 fifteen members separated<ref name="Early"/> to found the Webster Groves Presbyterian Church<ref name="Early"/>

Marshall served as first postmaster at Fairfax House c. 1845.<ref name="Early"/> Marshall died in February 1864.<ref name="Personalities">{{Cite book|title=A History of Rock Hill|last=Blann|first=Celeste Wagner|publisher=Celeste Wagner Blann|year=1976|pages=45–51|chapter=Early Personalities}}</ref> The post office was closed in 1863, only to reopen a year later until 1897, whereupon mail service was moved to [[Webster Groves, Missouri|Webster Groves]].<ref name="Early"/>

Mail service was re-established in February 1874.<ref>{{cite news |title=State News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/68031428/?terms=%22Rock%2Bhill%22 |access-date=26 October 2019 |work=The State Journal |date=20 March 1874}}</ref>

Rock Hill was a stop near present-day Creve Coeur Drive on the [[Missouri Pacific]] spur from [[Creve Coeur, Missouri]] to downtown St. Louis. Trains ran twice daily.<ref name="Early"/> In 1934 Rock Hill Investment Co. purchased 22.93 acres on the railroad from Rock Hill Supply Co. for an industrial subdivision<ref>{{cite news|title=TRACT ON MANCHESTER ROAD BOUGHT FOR INDUSTRIAL USE|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/139429825/|access-date=16 June 2017|work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch|date=6 May 1934}}</ref> In 1954 Walter F. Hellmich purchased 15 acres to develop an "Industrial Court."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/138181371/|access-date=16 June 2017|work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch|date=28 February 1954|title=St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri on February 28, 1954 · Page 89 }}</ref> In 1969 Rock Hill notified Missouri Pacific it would condemn its station.<ref>{{cite news|title=To Be Condemned|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/139144594/|access-date=15 June 2017|work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch|date=11 December 1969}}</ref>

Rock Hill remained largely undeveloped until the 1920s when much of the area was parceled for the construction of houses.<ref name="Climbing"/> In 1940 a 27-acre subdivision was created south of Manchester road.<ref>{{cite news |title=112 Homesites Planned In Rock Hill Development |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/137660099/?terms=%22rock%2Bhill%22 |access-date=28 October 2019 |work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |date=5 May 1940}}</ref> In April 1929 Rock Hill was incorporated as a village. The village switched to a mayor–aldermanic form of government in 1941. In April 1947 the Village of Rock Hill voted to incorporate as a fourth class city.<ref name="Early"/><ref name="Churches">{{Cite book|title=A History of Rock Hill|last=Blann|first=Celeste Wagner|publisher=Celeste Wagner Blann|year=1976|pages=30–34|chapter=Churches}}</ref>

On 10 February 1959 [[St. Louis tornado history|a powerful tornado]] struck Rock Hill north of Manchester, destroying Mackle Florist (1913–1965) and continued onward into St. Louis.<ref name="Early"/>

In April 1962 the city voted to annex the eastern half of Des Peres Avenue.<ref>{{cite news |title=Mayor Jacobs Loses in Overland |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/574696713/?terms=%22rock%2Bhill%22%2Bannex |access-date=28 October 2019 |work=St. Louis Globe-Democrat |date=4 April 1962}}</ref>

The city flag was presented by the Citizens of Rock Hill Improvement Association in May 1965.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/142275389/|title=New Flag for Rock Hill|date=13 May 1995|work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch}}</ref>

In 2006 Rock Hill began transitioning from a residential city to a [[point-of-sale]] city with a retail development project on Manchester. With city financial reserves at critical levels, city administrator George Liyeos told the ''Post-Dispatch'' "our entire future hinges on the success of that project."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Barbour|first1=Clay|title=St. Louis Post-Dispatch|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/151882593/|access-date=15 June 2017|date=26 March 2006}}</ref>

The 30th annual Rock Hill Fall Festival was held in 2013.<ref>{{cite news|title=Rock Hill Fall Festival Oct. 5|url=http://www.websterkirkwoodtimes.com/Articles-News-c-2013-10-03-190102.114137-sub-Rock-Hill-Fall-Festival-Oct-5.html|access-date=3 June 2017|work=Webster-Kirkwood Times|date=4 October 2013}}</ref>