| Marker Text |
Henrietta "Yettie" Kersting was born in Giddings, Texas, on October 17th, 1863, daughter of Louisa (Johnson) and Henry Kersting, a German immigrant farmer. Yettie received a public education and early business experience in Lee County. At the turn of the century she settled in the prosperous oil boomtown of Liberty and quickly established a millinery business. With her business thriving, she saved her money and soon made investments, primarily in real estate. She acquired a two-story building across from the courthouse, moved her millinery business to the lower floor, rented half to another business and maintained her own rooming house upstairs. Eventually Yettie opened the White Kitchen Café, which she operated until her retirement in 1940.
Her vision of a hospital came to fruition in 1935, when at age seventy-two she left the bulk of her estate to the people of Liberty County for a hospital. In 1940, construction of one unit of the hospital was started at a cost of $18,000. This first hospital clinic, located on Sam Houston Street, was dedicated on October 18th, 1941, and fittingly received Yettie Kersting as its first patient. Five weeks later on November 22, she died in the hospital she had founded and given to "The relief of suffering humanity."
Yettie Kersting's memory is firmly rooted in the community of Liberty and the hospital that her dedication, thrift and generosity made possible. Her philanthropic endeavors in the community still resonate today. She envisioned a medical facility dedicated to the health needs of citizens, no matter their financial circumstances or ethnic background. Through hard work, selfless demeanor and love for her community, this early businesswoman made a great impact. |
