The ostracism continued for years. Business ledgers from the period show that local merchants often charged the Blackwoods higher prices or refused to extend credit that was routinely offered to other families of similar standing. Invitations to social events stopped arriving. The once prominent family retreated into increasing isolation. A diary kept by Harriet Stanton, a neighbor whose family remained on cordial terms with the Blackwoods, provides insight into their deteriorating social position.
Took tea with Elizabeth yesterday. The house, once so full of life, and visitors stand silent now. The girls are growing up without proper society or friends their own age. Elizabeth confided that they have received no invitations to any of the summer gatherings. The colonel spends his days in his study with his books and his bourbon.
One feels the weight of their isolation upon crossing the threshold. Elizabeth Blackwood, the colonel's wife, appears to have suffered most acutely from this isolation. Dr. Theodore Lambert's medical journal from 1872 contains multiple entries regarding her condition. Mrs.
B continues to exhibit symptoms of nervous exhaustion and melancholia. She speaks of hearing whispers when in town and believes former friends are conspiring against the family.
The Colonel reports she Has taken to spending entire days in her bedroom with the curtains drawn. Lambert's journal provides a progressive account of Elizabeth's deteriorating mental state. April 1873. Mrs. B now refuses to leave the house entirely. Has developed peculiar habits.
Insists on checking the locks multiple times each night. Believes neighbors are observing the house from the woods beyond the garden. Has lost considerable weight due to poor appetite. November 1874. Mrs. B's condition continues to worsen.
Now exhibits paranoid delusions regarding the household food. Believes unnamed enemies are attempting to poison the family. Has taken to preparing all meals herself. Despite the fact that this was previously the domain of household staff, the colonel reports she will not allow the daughters to eat anything. She has not personally prepared and tasted first.
February 1875. Most troubling development in Mrs. B's case. She now experiences auditory hallucinations. Voices instructing her to protect her daughters from unnamed threats. Has taken to sleeping outside their bedroom door.
Personal hygiene severely neglected. I have suggested institutional care, but the colonel refuses to consider it at present. By 1876, Elizabeth's condition had deteriorated to the point where home care was no longer possible. Records from Western State Hospital in Staunton, Virginia, confirm her admission on June 12th, 1876 with a diagnosis of severe melancholia with paranoid features.
The admitting physician noted, "Patient believes her food is being poisoned by neighbors, shows extreme agitation when served meals, has lost considerable weight due to refusal to eat." The hospital's quarterly reports to Colonel Blackwood, copies of which were preserved in Dr. Lambert's files, show little improvement in Elizabeth's condition over time.
September 1876. Patient remains withdrawn and suspicious. Accepts only minimal nourishment and must be closely monitored to ensure adequate intake. Refuses to participate in occupational therapy or social activities. December 1877.
Patient has developed ritual behaviors around food consumption. Will only eat after elaborate preparation and inspection of all items. Has accused hospital staff of collusion with unnamed enemies. Sedation occasionally required during episodes of extreme agitation. March 1879.
No significant improvement. Patient now speaks rarely, even to attending physicians. Continues to express belief that she was committed to prevent her from protecting her daughters from harm. Requests to see her children have become less frequent. Elizabeth remained institutionalized until her death in 1883.
Hospital records describe her as withdrawn and uncommunicative throughout her stay. Though nurses noted that she brightened somewhat during infrequent visits from her daughters. The colonel visited only twice in seven years, claiming that the demands of managing the family properties alone prevented more frequent travel. The death certificate lists the cause as general failure of health systems consequent to self-starvation, suggesting that Elizabeth's paranoia about food had ultimately contributed to her death. She was buried in the Blackwood family plot in Harper's Ferry, though funeral records indicate the service was sparsely attended.