Guest Author - Jacqueline L Cross

Alabama or “The Heart of Dixie” is known for its rich history and wonderful southern hospitality. To the south can be found pristine beaches along the Gulf coast while in the north can be found the foothills of the southern Appalachian Mountains. The town of Tuscumbia is nestled in the northwestern part of Alabama and is home to many annual events and daily attractions which draw people from around the globe.

Helen Keller Festival
One such event is the annual Helen Keller Festival has been held in Tuscumbia since 1979. The festival celebrates the accomplishments of its namesake in a week-long gathering beginning with a parade through town. The festival is packed with activities for young and old alike including live music, tours of historical sites in the area, an art auction, puppet shows for the kids and numerous other activities. The festival kicks off in June. Pricing and dates for the current year may be found at the official festival site.

America’s First Lady of Courage
Ivy Green is the birthplace of Helen Keller (June 27, 1880 - June 1, 1968) which draws thousands of visitors every year to the small town of Tuscumbia, AL. Known as “America’s First Lady of Courage,” in 1882, Helen Keller lost her sight and hearing as a young child of 19 months of age. A mysterious illness nearly took her life which doctors at the time referred to as “brain fever.” In later years, medical doctors thought the illness to have been either meningitis or scarlet fever. [1]

Helen’s parents watched as she became less and less responsive to those around her. She was a healthy child locked inside a blind, deaf body which led to her being frustrated and angry. By the time Helen had reached seven years old her parents, Captain Arthur Henley Keller and Kate Adams Keller had hired Anne Sullivan as a live in teacher to work with Helen.

Ivy Green
The home where Helen Keller was born, fell ill and later learned to communicate with the world around her is found in the quaint, historic community of Tuscumbia, AL. Built in 1820 by Helen’s grandparents, David and Mary Fairfax Moore Keller, Ivy Green features the main house where her grandparents lived and the plantation office turned into a bridal cottage for Helen’s parents along with many other outbuildings. This cottage is where Helen was born and later where Helen and Anne Sullivan, for a time, lived together.

Ivy Green’s acreage is a beautifully maintained natural southern landscape. As one might expect, the estate is a mosaic of huge southern magnolia trees, weeping mimosas and English boxwoods which are said to be more than a century old. Honeysuckle fragrance fills the air in spring along with many native flowers and vines. Roses abound as well as an herb garden adding a bit of elegance to the estate. English Ivy grows everywhere on the estate and is where the name “Ivy Green” was derived from.

The Sites
Entering Ivy Green from West North Commons the main house is the first building the visitor will see. To the east of the main house is the cottage and between the two, at the back corner of the main house is the water-pump made famous by history-keepers. This is the water-pump where Anne Sullivan first began to teach Helen Keller how to speak and understand with her hands.

The buildings at Ivy Green have on display many mementos from Helen's travels and speaking engagements as well as her own writings, original Braille typewriter, books and photographs.

Continuing on the path past the pump is the outdoor kitchen and cooks’ quarters. At the back of the kitchen and further east are public restrooms. Moving back onto the pathway, the visitor will find the carriage house and the outdoor theatre where William Gibson's play; "The Miracle Worker" is performed annually beginning in June. [2]

To the west of the outdoor theatre is the famous “Moon Tree.” This Loblolly pine was planted in October of 1976 after the seed had orbited the moon with astronaut Stuart Roosa in February, 1971 while on the Apollo 14 mission. Moon trees, as they are called, from the Apollo 14 flight can be found growing around the globe. [3]



[1] Royal National Institute of Blind People
RNIB Resource Centre
105 Judd Street
London WC1H 9NE
Telephone: 020 7388 1266 (ext 2356)
Fax: 020 7388 2034

[2] Helen Keller Birthplace
Ivy Green
300 West North Commons
Tuscumbia, Alabama 35674
(256) 383-4066

[3] NSSDC Lunar and Planetary Science
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/moon_tree.html