Emily Blackman Week! (July 12-18, 2026)

 

In recognition of the 200th birthday of Miss Emily Blackman, beloved Susquehanna County Historian, events will be held to honor her dedication to her work not only as a historian but her labors for the welfare of others. The Susquehanna County Commissioners have proclaimed July 12- 18, 2026 as Emily Blackman Week and July 15 (her birthday) as Emily Blackman Day in Susquehanna County.

 

On Sunday, July 12th, a birthday tea will be held at the Center for Anti-Slavery Studies, 395 Church St., Montrose at 2 pm. The cost is $25 and reservations will be taken at the Historical Society (18 Monument St. 570-278-1622) until July 6th.

 

 As the Soldiers’ Aid Society of the 1860’s collected items to send to the Civil War front via the U. S. Sanitary Commission, and as Miss Emily Blackman was the Corresponding Secretary of the Soldiers’ Aid Society (S.A.S.), the public is invited to honor her by bringing items to be given to a deserving organization, in this case the Susquehanna County Interfaith. Interfaith provides baskets of supplies to families in need from its centers in Montrose, Susquehanna, and Forest City. The following personal and household items are suggested:

​​​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

Baskets will be provided the day of the tea at C.A.S.S.’s location which in the 1860’s was the home of Mrs. Mary (Jessup) Chandler, Vice President of the S.A.S. Donations will also be taken at the Susquehanna County Historical Society through July 16th.

 

On July 15th, Miss Blackman’s birthday, a wreath laying ceremony will be held at her gravesite at the Montrose Cemetery at 10 a.m.

 

At 6 p.m. on the 15th, there will be a Fireside Chat at the Historical Society entitled “Miss Emily Blackman: Lessons for Us All” There will be a cake cutting afterward followed by museum tours. This is a free event. Elevator access is available for those with mobility challenges.

 

Emily Blackman was born in Gilbertville, NY on 15 July, 2026 the daughter of Josiah and Clarissa Camp Blackman. 

 

After living a short while in Binghamton, the family moved in 1836 to Montrose, PA where Emily studied at the Montrose Academy.  She studies music and was reported to have been able to read ten languages. She became a member of the Presbyterian Church in town at the age of 12 and was an active member for the rest of her life.

 

At about age 15 or 16, Emily became an assistant teacher at the Montrose Academy. This was the beginning of an active life as a teacher.  She afterward taught in Bradford and Delaware Counties and in the West.

 

During the Civil War, she was the secretary of the Montrose Soldiers’ Aid Society and a member of the Sanitary Commission which provided supplies to Union Civil War Soldiers. After the War, her dedication to teaching resumed and as a member of the Freedman’s Aid Society, she lived in the South to teach formerly enslaved children and adults.

 

Upon returning to Montrose, she was encouraged by Sarah Walker, her friend and co-worker in the Societies and Commission, to write a narrative of those organizations. Miss Walker then challenged her to write a history of the county. Emily researched in Susquehanna and Luzerne Counties for four years and wrote the “History of Susquehanna County,” publishing it in 1873.

 

Emily Blackman’s dedication to social justice and education continued through the rest of her lifetime. She was a member of the Women's Christian Temperance Union and was one of the two delegates from the county to its first Pennsylvania Convention. She was a frequent contributor to the local newspaper drawing attention to important issues. She was a founding member of the Susquehanna County Historical Society which still holds many of her writings and letters.

 

Miss Blackman died August 2, 1907 in Florida where she spent winters of some of her last years.