One-tank trip: Helen Keller home fascinates, inspires visitors

Many visitors to the Helen Keller Birthplace and Home in Tuscumbia, Ala., are big fans of the 1962 film “The Miracle Worker,” which depicts the blind and deaf Helen Keller’s early life. That may explain why some race through the modest clapboard house called Ivy Green and go straight to the backyard. The Helen Keller Birthplace is known for many things, but it’s most famous for the backyard water pump where 7-year-old Helen first learned the meaning of language from her teacher, Anne Sullivan. In 1887, Sullivan finger-spelled the word “water” on Helen’s hand as water flowed over her palm. That’s when Helen understood that everything in her world had a name, and that life-changing epiphany is one of the most poignant scenes in the film.

Soon after that, Helen learned the manual alphabet. For the first time in her life, the highly intelligent child could communicate the ideas brimming in her active mind. By the time Helen was 10 she had mastered Braille, and by 16 she had learned to speak, thanks to the efforts of her dedicated teacher.

Wesley K.H. Teo

Ivy Green, former home of Helen Keller, in Tuscumbia, Ala.

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The dining room at Ivy Green is a source of fascination for many visitors because it was here that a battle of wills between student and teacher came to a head. Until Sullivan came to Ivy Green from the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston, Helen was coddled and spoiled by her parents, Capt. Arthur H. and Kate Adams Keller. Sullivan refused to tolerate the unruly child’s tantrums and was determined to turn Helen into an obedient student. She resolved to start by teaching Helen table manners. Helen was accustomed to roaming around the dining table and eating off others’ plates with her hands, a practice Sullivan found repugnant.

In “The Miracle Worker,” Patty Duke as Helen Keller and Anne Bancroft as Anne Sullivan re-enact the notorious dining room wrestling match with the teacher trying to force Helen to sit at the table and eat in a civilized fashion while a rebellious Helen kicks, thrashes and hurls silverware. Those familiar with the scene often ask if the dishes displayed in the dining room are original to the house. Yes — Helen didn’t break all the dishes that day.

Schoolchildren always have a giggle when the tour leads them to an upstairs bedroom. The mischievous young Helen locked her new teacher in this room and hid the key. Capt. Keller had to fetch a ladder and bring Sullivan out through the window, a humiliating experience, no doubt.

Today that key can be found in the museum room. Other memorabilia include a Braille alarm clock and the desk slate that enabled Helen to write in a straight line. A Teletouch machine, which translated into Braille what was typed by the sighted, is also on display.

The tiny cottage adjacent to the main house is one of the highlights of a visit to the home. Sullivan requested that she be left alone here with Helen for two weeks so that she could teach her without interruptions and correct her behavior without interference from Helen’s parents. Helen was driven around the grounds for hours before arriving at the cottage to make her believe she was a long way from home and dependent solely on Sullivan. In reality, Helen was in the exact spot where she was born, but the ruse worked, and this is where the pair started to form their lifelong bond. Shortly after this period of seclusion with Sullivan, Helen had her breakthrough at the water pump.

Executive Director Sue Pilkilton says many visitors with disabilities come to Ivy Green to draw strength from the life of a young girl who overcame her physical handicaps, becoming not only the first deaf-blind person to graduate from college, but also a world-renowned author, lecturer and social activist.

“I’ll never forget a young couple that came in,” Pilkilton said. “The woman was crying because they just found out their child was deaf. At the end of the tour she said, ‘This has been so inspirational to my husband and me. We know now all doors have not been closed for our child.’ “

Helen was a tireless advocate for those with disabilities. Surely she would be pleased that decades after her death, her story still gives the disabled and their families hope for the future.

IF YOU GO

Tuscumbia, Ala., is 260 miles northwest of Atlanta.

• Helen Keller Birthplace and Home. 300 W. North Commons St., Tuscumbia, Ala. $6 adults, $5 seniors, $2 students ages 5-18. 888-329-2124, www.helenkellerbirthplace.org

• “The Miracle Worker.” William Gibson’s play is performed in an outdoor theater at the Helen Keller Birthplace every summer. The 2009 season runs June 5-July 11. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays only. $10 reserved seats; $7 general admission.

• First Presbyterian Church. Not only is this where the Kellers worshiped and Helen was baptized, but the Georgian Gothic-style church is the oldest house of worship in the state of Alabama. It is part of the Hallelujah Trail, a network of churches available for tours throughout North Alabama. For more information on the Hallelujah Trail, visit www.northalabama.org or call 256-350-3500. 103 N. Broad St., Tuscumbia, Ala. 256-383-2412.