What’s Ivy Green?

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Ivy Green is a historic home in the US state of Alabama, famous as the childhood home of Helen Keller, a deafblind American who gained great notoriety for her breakthroughs in communication and advocacy for the disabled. The estate has been largely preserved to appear as it would have during Keller’s childhood in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Today it operates as a museum open to the public and is listed as a National Historic Landmark of the United States.

There is nothing particularly noteworthy about the estate in terms of grounds or architecture. Much more significant is what happened there and what the house represents. In terms of construction, the house is medium in size and has been built in a traditional clapboard style. There are four rooms on the ground floor, each with a fireplace, and three more on a modest mezzanine-style second level.

Just off the main house is what’s known as “the cottage,” a small outbuilding originally used as a library but believed to be Keller’s birthplace. Later in her childhood, Keller used the cottage as a playroom and place for lessons. The curators at Ivy Green configured this space to resemble the classroom where Keller and his assistant and partner, Anne Sullivan, spent most of their days.

The U.S. National Register of Historic Places added Ivy Green to its ranks in 1954, while Keller was still alive. He left Alabama in his teens to pursue higher education and eventually travel the world advocating for issues important to the deafblind community. Her home and grounds are significant primarily because it is here that young Keller learned to communicate, found her strength, and gained her independence.

Ivy Green is run as a museum and is open for tours most days. In addition to preserved rooms, restored furniture, and period-appropriate details, the house also has a number of exhibits. It is widely regarded as one of the first American museums to deal directly with disability, especially deafness and blindness.

Some of the museum’s exhibits detail Keller’s life, especially his struggles to learn words and communicate thoughts. Visitors can see Keller’s Braille books and Braille typewriter, for example, as well as examples of his early calligraphy practice. The museum also features permanent exhibits related to advances in deafblind education and more generally. Visiting museums like Ivy Green allows people to feel immersed in history while learning about modern advances.
Each summer, the estate hosts a Helen Keller Festival, usually taking place on a weekend close to Keller’s birthday on June 27. The house is open for regular visits during this festival, but the grounds also come to life with exhibitions, re-enactments and hands-on activities for visitors of all ages. Musicians and artists also host regular performances as part of the festival’s mission to celebrate the senses.

Ivy Green is also home to a range of child-friendly exhibitions, programs and performances, including outside festival hours. The American Foundation for the Blind sponsors the Helen Keller Kids Museum Online, an interactive web-based guide to both Ivy Green and the life and times of Helen Keller. Museums and children do especially well with this resource, as kids can arrive at the estate with an idea of ​​what to expect, as well as a list of things to look out for.
Children in the Tuscumbia, Alabama area can also participate in the estate’s partially sponsored “Keller Kids” organization. This program is designed for fifth and sixth grade students and teaches about the difficulties associated with vision and hearing impairments. Participants are exposed to basic sign language and Braille and often have the opportunity to reach out to the community with the blind and deaf in their area.

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