Helen Keller and Alexander Graham Bell Photo: Helen Keller Festival Archives

Ivy Green (Helen Keller's Birthplace)

The project documents activities staged in Miss Keller's birthplace of Tuscumbia, Alabama, located in Colbert County. It provides introductory remarks about Helen Keller, known throughout the world as the "First Lady of Courage." It also presents information pertaining to Ivy Green, the birthplace of Helen Keller, and on The Miracle Worker, the drama by William Gibson, which has been staged on the grounds of Ivy Green for 39 years. Lastly, it covers the Helen Keller Festival, an annual event staged primarily in Tuscumbia which features a variety of activities designed to encourage us to reflect on the life of Helen Keller and the many directions in which her life branched. The Festival, referred to as a "Celebration of Life," has been presented for 21 years.

Project documentation includes 15 pages of text on Helen Keller's legacy, her life, and her birthplace; photographs of Helen Keller and Ivy Green with accompanying descriptions; letters; newspaper articles; 3 pages of text on The Miracle Worker, along with programs and a photograph; 10 pages of text on the Helen Keller Festival, with accompanying photographs, newspaper articles, programs, a small poster, cachets (first day covers) of commemorative stamps; and a videotape entitled "Helen Keller Legacy."

Originally submitted by: Robert E. (Bud) Cramer, Jr., Representative (5th District).

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The Local Legacies project provides a "snapshot" of American Culture as it was expressed in spring of 2000. Consequently, it is not being updated with new or revised information with the exception of "Related Website" links.

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