Helen Keller Festival in Tuscumbia, Alabama

Reader Contribution by Mary carton
Published on June 12, 2011
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Tuscumbia, Alabama, is the birthplace of Helen Keller, who was born in 1880, to Captain Arthur H. and Kate Adams Keller.  The house, built c.1820-1830 by Helen Keller’s grandparents David and Mary Fairfax Moore Keller, who were related to Robert E. Lee and a direct descendents of Virginia’s early colonial governor, Alexander Spotswood, who built the Governor’s Palace at Williamsburg, Virginia. The name of the house, Ivy Green, came from the abundance of English Ivy which once covered the grounds. At 19 months, Helen was sickened with a disease which left her deaf and blind.  At the age of six, the wild child was taken to see Dr. Alexander Graham Bell, and as a result Anne Sullivan was hired as her teacher. The teacher had her hands full with a child that couldn’t hear or see. The break through came as Ms. Sullivan held Helen’s hands under the water pump and the word water came from her lips. 

The story at the water pump was imortalized by playwright William Gibson.  “The Miracle Worker” was made into a movie in 1962 with Patty Duke portraying Helen Keller and Anne Bancroft as Anne Sullivan.

Helen Keller’s home is now preserved as a museum.  Each year in June and going into July, “The Miracle Worker” is presented at the home on Friday and Saturday nights.  The Helen Keller Festival honoring Keller takes place each year at the end of June. This year the festival is at Spring Park in Tuscumbia is from June 23 to June 26.  Family entertainment, consisting of arts and crafts, concerts, bike rides, runs, a street dance, story time, dancing waters and the Miracle Worker play fill the four days of the festival.  Admission to the event is three whole dollars.  So if you can take time to visit for a day or two or three, check out the events going on.  Be sure to bring a lawn chair with you to sit a spell. 

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