Another indication of the family's continued social isolation. The three daughters, Margaret, Eleanor, and Ruth, were left largely to their own devices during these difficult years. School records from Jefferson Academy show all three were exceptional students with Margaret particularly gifted in mathematics and accounting. Her term papers preserved in the academy's archives show an unusual focus on financial management and investment strategies topics rarely pursued by young women of the period. Eleanor displayed talent in domestic arts as evidenced by her prize-winning embroidery displayed at the Jefferson County Fair in 1872.
The local newspaper described her work as showing exceptional precision and attention to detail with stitches so fine as to be nearly invisible to the naked eye. Her teachers noted her perfectionist tendencies with one evaluation, commenting that Miss Eleanor will unpick and restart her work multiple times until achieving the exact result she desires, showing unusual patience for one so young. Ruth's aptitude for chemistry was noted by several teachers. An essay written by Ruth at age 13, preserved in the academy's archives, suggests an unusual interest in the preparation and preservation of food, particularly meats, titled on modern methods of food preservation and their chemical foundations. The essay displays knowledge well beyond what would be expected of a student her age.
Her science instructor added a note. Unusually detailed understanding of organic decomposition for a student of her age. Somewhat concerning focus on methods of preserving animal tissue. All three girls withdrew from formal education following their mother's hospitalization. Margaret at 18, Eleanor at 14, and Ruth at just 9 years old.
The colonel apparently decided that home education was preferable given the continued social isolation of the family. He hired a series of tutors, though town records indicate none stayed longer than a few months. One such tutor, Miss Caroline Spencer, wrote to a friend in Baltimore in 1879: "The Blackwood girls are intelligent beyond their years, but there is something disquieting about the household. The youngest especially asks questions that no child should contemplate.
"The colonel is often absent, and the house maintains a silence that presses upon one's spirits. I shall not renew my contract when the term ends." Another tutor, James Harrison, lasted only six weeks before departing without collecting his final wages. In a letter to the headmaster of his previous school, he explained, "The situation at the Blackwood House is not as represented. The girls, while intellectually capable, display disturbing tendencies.
The eldest manages the household accounts with suspicious precision for one her age." The middle child spends hours arranging and rearranging items in the house to achieve some standard of order only she can discern. And the youngest. I cannot adequately describe my discomfort with her preoccupations. She dissects small animals found on the property, claiming scientific interest, but the enthusiasm she displays is most unseemly. The colonel, when present, is either indifferent or inebriated.
I could not, in good conscience, continue." For the next 15 years, the Blackwood sisters lived in increasing isolation. Neighbors reported seeing them only at church or during necessary trips to town for supplies. The family's once extensive social circle had contracted to include only a few loyal friends and distant relatives who occasionally visited from out of town. Colonel Blackwood's health began to decline in the late 1880s.
Dr. Lambert's journal mentions treating him for respiratory complaints and episodes of confusion and agitation, particularly at night. The doctor's notes from 1890 express concern about the colonel's mental state. Patient expresses belief that former Confederate soldiers are plotting to burn his house. Has taken to keeping loaded firearms in every room. I have advised the daughters to secure these weapons as the colonel's hands shake considerably and he may pose a danger to himself or others.
A particularly telling entry from November 1890 reads, "Called to the Blackwood House at midnight. The colonel had fired his revolver through the bedroom window, claiming he saw intruders in the garden. No evidence of any such presence. The daughters appeared remarkably calm throughout the incident. The eldest, Miss Margaret, explained that such episodes were becoming common, and inquired about stronger sedatives than I had previously prescribed."
Most curious was the youngest daughter's reaction. She observed the proceedings with what I can only describe as clinical interest, as though studying the progression of her father's deterioration. When Colonel Blackwood died in February 1891, the funeral was sparsely attended. The obituary in the Jefferson County Advocate was brief, noting his military service, but little else. No cause of death was specified, though Dr. Lambert's private records indicate failure of the heart, possibly hastened by years of melancholia and excessive consumption of spirits.
A more troubling note appears in Lambert's personal journal, never intended for public view. He wrote, "Am not entirely satisfied with the circumstances of the colonel's passing. Called to certify death in early morning hours. Body already prepared for burial by the daughters, unusual in itself. Miss Margaret cited the colonel's explicit wishes to avoid unnecessary handling.
No obvious signs of violence or self-harm, though the daughter's composure was remarkable for those who had just lost their only remaining parent. When I suggested a more thorough examination might be appropriate, Miss Ruth commented that further invasion of father's dignity would serve no purpose, as what's done is done. The phrasing struck me as peculiar. Have signed the certificate as requested, though certain questions remain." The colonel's death left his daughters in a precarious financial position.
Military pension records show that his Union Army pension terminated upon his death. The family's once substantial holdings had dwindled over the years as the colonel had gradually sold off properties to maintain their lifestyle as business ventures failed. By 1891, only the house on the hill and a small amount of savings remained. Bank records from the Harper's Ferry National Bank, uncovered by Professor Whitaker in 1954, show that the Blackwood account contained just $237.42 at the time of the colonel's death, insufficient to maintain three unmarried women for more than a few months in even modest circumstances. Yet within a year, regular deposits began to appear, eventually growing to substantial sums that allowed the sisters not only to maintain their household, but to make significant improvements to the property.
It was Margaret, the eldest and most practical of the sisters, who proposed converting the family home into a boarding house. Her letter to the Jefferson County clerk requesting the appropriate business license dated March 7th, 1892 states, "Our location near the railway station and the quality of accommodations we can provide should attract a respectable clientele of travelers requiring temporary lodging. We anticipate primarily serving businessmen and tourists visiting the historical sites of Harper's Ferry." The transformation of the Blackwood home was swift and thorough. Local carpenter Joseph Winters was hired to modify the interior, creating additional bedrooms from the formerly spacious family quarters and improving the plumbing to accommodate paying guests.