Throughout March, to commemorate Women’s History Month, the Salisbury Post will be taking the time to reflect upon and celebrate the women of Rowan County who have shaped the past so that a more prosperous future can become a reality for everyone regardless of their gender. 

This time, the spotlight is on Edith M. Clark.

A Salisbury native, Clark was the director of the Rowan Public Library for nearly 40 years and was the last child born in the old Presbyterian manse, now known as the Maxwell Chambers house. 

Thanks to contributions from the Rotary Club and Presbyterian Church, Clark was able to attend Woman’s College in Greensboro where she took both library and history courses that led to a master’s degree in library science from UNC-Chapel Hill.

Clark soon found work as a librarian and a teacher, but eventually focused her career passions towards libraries. Over many years, Clark slowly established the Rowan Public Library and helped start the county’s other locations. She was instrumental in getting the now-famous bookmobile to arrive in Rowan County, where reading materials could finally come to where the people were and not the other way around. 

The Edith M. Clark History Room at the Salisbury branch of the Rowan Public Library is named after her for all that she’s done to broaden reading and learning in Rowan County. 

Though Clark died over 30 years ago, her legacy lives on today whenever someone visits a Rowan Public Library. 

If you have a photo to share or a story to tell illustrating Women’s History Month, please email editor Chandler Inions at chandler.inions@salisburypost.com.