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| Ivy Green |
My husband and I toured Ivy Green the birthplace of Helen Keller.
David and Mary Fairfax Moore Keller, the grandparents of Helen Keller, built the house in 1820.
The main house is of Virginia cottage construction, with four large rooms on the first floor with a wide hall, each room has its own fireplace.
The house was decorated for the holidays with Ivy, Holly, Pines, and other greenery from the grounds, it is amazing what you can use to decorate without a lot of costs.
There were holly and cedar lying on the table in the parlor, there was a cedar tree beautifully decorated in the corner of the parlor, with magnolia leaves mixed with cedar in the fireplace and on the mantle.
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| Ivy Green |
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| Ivy Green |
Helen’s picture was hanging on the wall, another one of her pictures of Helen at age seven was sitting on the table.
There were a couple of Victorian chairs sitting in front of the fireplace on an oriental rug covering the hardwood floor.
Across the hall was the master bedroom where Arthur and Kate Keller slept.
There was a bed with a high-carved headboard covered with a quilt made by Eveline Keller over one hundred years old.
There was clothing hanging in the wardrobe of Helen and Mrs. Keller’s.
On the floor was a Chinese rug given to Helen in 1949 by Hajji Baba Club.
There was holly, Magnolia, and cedar lying on the fireplace mantle and a picture of Helen age thirteen.
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| Ivy Green |
There was a netting basket sitting next to a rocker, a small table with a lamp, an umbrella standing next to the fireplace, another table with a picture sitting inside a bowl.
The stairs leading to the two bedrooms upstairs were lined with ivy.
Pictures of Helen and her parents were on the walls in the hall.
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| Ivy Green |
The boy’s room was to your right, a trunk room in the middle, and Helen’s room to the left. All the floors were hardwood coved by large rugs.
In the dining room sitting on the table were a centerpiece of pine, cedar, holly, and apples and a set of China. Above the fireplace was Magnolia leaves around candelabras, a silver teapot set was sitting on the sugar chest, and the Jackson Press held the silver, linens, and beverages.
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| Ivy Green |
Across from the dining room was where Helen’s aunt Eveline Keller slept, but now used as Helen’s Museum.
Helen’s museum room houses some of Helen’s Braille books, a US stamp with Helen and Anne Sullivan, a bust of Helen, several pictures of Helen at different ages, and many artifacts.
There is a bronze plate of Helen with a saying, To be blind is to see the bright side of life Helen Keller.
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| Helen Keller |
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| Helen Keller |
Outside was the kitchen and house cleaner’s quarters; there was the pump where Helen said her first word, “Water.”
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| WATER |
There was a carriage house, and the cottage, where Helen’s toys were displayed.
It had doll carriage, a child rocker, larger rocker, chest, small doll bed, and the picture inside a bowl and a kerosene lamp. In the bedroom, it has a four-poster bed, baby bed, fireplace, another rocker, and a fireplace.
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| Ivy Green |
My husband had never seen Helen’s home, I had seen it several times.
My dad had gotten an old trunk from the Keller estate when I was just a small girl, inside of the trunk was a fairytale book, which I read from cover to cover and was lost when we moved to Florence.
We walked across the street to the Tuscumbia Art Museum where we viewed nine, twelve foot Christmas trees that were decorated by different groups, to capture the season.
Delta goes green by the Delta Sigma Theta: their theme was white Angles.
The Christmas tree is Celebrating 100 years of 4-H: decorated by the 4-H Colbert and Franklin Counties.
Their tree was decorated with several of the 4-h emblems, and their theme color was green with a green skirt and white button up top shirt from the 1950s.
Just Beachy by Pam Wright:
Pam’s theme was cool colors with sunglasses, flip-flops and other items you would see on the beach.
For unto you are born this day by Leta Mathews and Van Brown:
Their theme color was gold, & silver with twinkling lights, the manger scene, the wise men, and the worshipping of baby Jesus.
There goes Santa Clause by Janet Cochran:
Theme color was red and white with Santa’s boots sticking out of the chimney, and Santa’s of all shape and sizes covering the tree, Santa’s sack, and presents under the tree.
Unsung Heroes by DAR:
Their tree was decorated with a fire truck, and the tree was wrapped with notes for our heroes.
Uniquely Yours by American Cancer Society and Bosom Buddies support group;
Their theme was pink, with pink and silver balls hanging on the tree.
White bears and presents wrapped in pink and white.
The arts of home by:
UNA’s Department of human and environmental sciences; are many colors with a woman and her umbrella on top. The tree was decorated with things that you would find in a home.
Last, I love to read by WA Threadgill Primary School.
Their theme color was multicolor with educational toys, books all over the tree and under the tree.
There was Clifford the big red dog, pooh and many other characters.
My husband talked to the curator while I took pictures of all the trees
They will be on display until December 24, 2008.
Helen Keller!
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