Ivy Green

Monday through Saturday 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.; Sunday 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. Closed Easter, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and December 24-26
Admission: Adults, $3; age 6 to 11, $1

Helen Keller's grandfather built this white frame home in 1820, 60 years before Helen's birth. Its architecture is unique, with a fireplace in each of its large, square rooms.

Keller's cradle and the table where she disrupted so many family meals are on display. Much of the furniture in the home belonged to the Kellers, yet some period pieces and local residents donated some of the wall and table decorations.

At 19 months old, Helen became stricken with a fever which left her blind and deaf. Anne Sullivan, a young teacher, took up residence at Ivy Green when Keller was six years old and became Helen's constant companion throughout her life. Keller's experiences at Ivy Green led her to a career in writing and speaking on the behalf of the handicapped. She lived most of her adult life in Connecticut.

The beautiful gardens of Ivy Green are a delightful attraction for many tourists. In the garden area is the famous water pump where Helen understood her first word-water.

Helen Keller (1880-1968)

A champion of social reform for the treatment of the handicapped, Helen Keller spent most of her life deaf and blind. Through hard work and the life-long support of her friend Anne Sullivan, Keller became a speaker and writer, producing speeches and magazine articles that made a difference for people with all handicaps, especially the deaf and blind.

At 19 months old, Keller lost her hearing and sight due to a high fever. She grew to be an unmanageable child, confused and angered by her dark world. When she was six years old, Keller's father wrote to the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston requesting a teacher.

A young graduate, Anne Sullivan, arrived in Tuscumbia on March 3, 1887. Having had her eyesight partially restored, Sullivan understood Helen better than anyone ever had. Using a combination of firmness, determination, and love, Sullivan worked each day with Helen. Once Helen realized that everything had a name, she made great progress. English was only a beginning; Keller learned to speak French and German as well. She studied math, science, and literature at Wright-Humason School for the Deaf and Cambridge School for Young Ladies. In 1904 Keller graduated from Radcliffe College with honors.

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