Ivy Green, Tuscumbia, Alabama

One of the most inspiring points of interest that we visited just off the Natchez Trace (MP320) was a home named Ivy Green, the birthplace of Helen Keller. It was built by Helen’s grandfather in the year 1820. Helen Keller was born there in 1880, a healthy baby. At the age of 1 ½ years, Helen suffered from an extreme fever which left her blind and deaf. The fascinating story of her young life can be seen in the story “The Miracle Worker”. Our family watched this as a movie a few years ago. This summer while we were in Illinois, we saw the story again, as a play. “The Miracle Worker” is about Annie Sullivan, the teacher who introduced Helen to the concept of language, and therefore changed the life of this little girl from one of frustration and lack of control to one of order and discovery. Seeing the actual location where Helen’s life-changing experiences really happened was awesome!

Do you remember the scene where Helen locked Annie Sullivan in her room? Helen’s father had to rescue Annie by putting a ladder up against the house.

One fact that I found fascinating was that the main house of Ivy Green was a mere 30-40 feet away from the ‘cottage’ where Annie took Helen for two weeks of privacy, to try to make a break-through with her young student without the Kellers’ intervention. This photo shows just how close the building are.

Just steps away from the house, the water pump still stands. This is where Helen finally understood the concept of language, when Annie used manual sign language to spell out the word W-A-T-E-R in Helen’s hand. After that moment, Helen was a sponge for learning.

Helen’s break-through came when she was six years old. Soon she learned how to print words on paper. Using a template to keep her lines straight, her printing was very neat. As a young lady, she also met inventor Alexander Graham Bell who worked closely with the hearing-impaired. He became a long-time friend.

Ivy Green is a wonderful historic site not only because of its human story, but also because of its artifacts. About 80% of the contents of the house are original to the Keller family, including the furniture, quilts, and clothing.

Helen Keller did not pass away until 1968, so there was plenty of opportunity to have her photo taken. We saw several photos of her throughout her life, and many with Annie Sullivan who remained ‘teacher’ for her entire life. As an adult, Helen worked promoting programs and understanding for the visually- and hearing-impaired.