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As Beaver County Juvenile Probation Officer from 1916 to 1940 Cora Blackledge cared for hundreds of troubled children. Of course, there is no record of any who did not grow up to become a good citizen thanks to her influence, guidance and training. A strict disciplinarian, the mere mention of her name during this period was enough to keep other and more fortunate youngsters from straying. In the house which she and her life long companion, Miss Harriett Stewart, built for their charges she changed the lives of hundreds for the better. Regular church attendance was mandatory, as were memorized Bible verses recited at Sunday meals. But in the camp, with its cabins, dining hall and swimming hole, which she and her foster son Edward Ellis had built on land she bought along Brush Creek, discipline was tempered with kindness and pleasure. Working closely with school officials she kept in touch with the parents of children released from her care, found good homes for some, and instilled a desire to go on to college in others.