TUSCUMBIA-A fallen oak tree that Helen Keller loved as a child is getting a new lease on life.
Tom and Phyllis Hunter, of American Heritage Trees
The 200-plus year old tree at Ivy Green, Keller’s childhood home in Tuscumbia, was cut down in 2015 after being damaged by a tornado and falling victim to insects and disease. Helen Keller, who was blind and deaf, became stranded in the tree once as a child and was rescued by her teacher, Anne Sullivan.
On Monday, April 25, Tom and Phyllis Hunter, of American Heritage Trees, will be at Ivy Green to plant a tree grown from an acorn collected from the Helen Keller Oak. Students from West Elementary School in Russellville will assist with the planting. The tree planting ceremony, that begins at 10:30 a.m., is open to the public.
American Heritage Trees, based in Lebanon, Tenn., collects cuttings and seeds from historic trees throughout the nation and propagates them to be used as replacements should the parent die. The nonprofit organization also sells saplings grown from historic trees.
