Emilie Amt

Historian

Efforts Underway to Restore and Preserve Historic African American Cemetery in Halfway Neighborhood

African-American History, Press / by / Leave a Comment

Story and photos by Lisa Gregory

They lived rich and full lives. They married and raised children. They fought to preserve the Union during the Civil War and then to defend it against foreign powers during World War 1. They loved and laughed and cried. And when the time came, they found their final resting place at the Halfway African American Cemetery, or as it was known then, the Halfway Colored Cemetery.

Then, those buried there were lost to time and development, and the undergrowth of nature taking over their graves and tombstones in a small area that still remains. Read more…

About Emilie Amt

Emilie Amt is a retired professor of history. From 1998 to 2021 she held the Hildegarde Pilgram Chair of History at Hood College in Frederick, Maryland. She earned a B.A. in medieval studies from Swarthmore College and a D.Phil. in modern history from Oxford University. Her current research focuses on nineteenth-century African American history in western Maryland.

Her forthcoming book about African American experiences of the Battle of Antietam will be published in summer 2022 by The History Press. She is also working on a history of slavery in Washington County, Maryland. A medieval historian by training, she has published books and articles on medieval religious women and English government, war, and finance. Her books include college textbooks and scholarly editions of Latin texts.

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