Ivy Green is the birthplace of Helen Keller. Helen Keller is known has the first woman of courage and her life is truly an inspiration. Ivy Green stands today as a shrine to this amazing woman and is located in Tuscumbia, Alabama.
Some facts about Ivy Green….this home is located in Tuscumbia, Alabama and is on the register of Historic Places and is a permanent shrine.
Ivy Green hosts the play ‘The Miracle Worker’ by William Gibson and has for 55 years. The play is about Helen Keller and her teacher Anne Sullivan. An especially remembered scene is one in which she teaches Helen her first word by letting water flow over her palm while she wrote out the word ‘water’ on her palm with her finger. It is supposed to be the life changing day in Helen Keller’s life. Along with the production of “The Miracle Worker” Ivy Green for a week in June a ‘Celebration of Life’ festival is held to celebrate Helen Keller and her amazing life.
Built in 1820 by Helen Keller’s grandfather, David Keller, constructed this Virginia cottage type. There are 4 rooms on the ground floor, each with its own room and a large hall connecting them and 3 rooms on the first floor with a similar large hall connecting each of them. The kitchen is an outdoor kitchen and the path from the house to the kitchen is called ‘whistle’ path and to the east is the cottage where Helen Keller was born. It has a large hall with French windows and a nursery. The whole area is surrounded by lush greenery including trees like the 150 year old English boxwood, magnolias etc and beautiful flowers like roses, honeysuckles, and of course Ivy from which it receives its name.
Ivy Green is maintained exactly as the original house and still contains the Keller’s furniture and mementos include her complete collection of Braille books and Braille type writer. Even the water pump where Helen Keller learnt her first word is preserved as it is.
