DeafBlind Community of Mississippi

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DBCM visit to Helen Keller Birthplace

Mr. Jarreau writes, “Like many, I read and studied about Helen Keller and thought I knew her fairly well. Yes I knew a bit of HK history. The iconic figure who changed the world. Sure. Here’s the kicker. In Tuscumbia, Alabama, I met the little girl whose name was Helen, her teacher, her father, half brother and mother, as well as the home they shared and the rich history of a time in the world we see as innocent. It was a life changing event all DeafBlind should experience. There is just so much to say. Being welcomed in a city by its people who are good to all. People who are kind and understand the DeafBlind community promoted by Helen Keller. It is seeing who we are in the eyes of history. Who we are. Where we came from. And the power of a child’s optimism that changed the world. It was a life experience none in our group will ever forget.

The best summary of the event was spoken by Sue M. who signed, ‘I am glad I came whatever the cost. I now feel connected.’ Very powerful words to express what it really means to be a part of something real.

The DeafBlind Community of Mississippi (DBCM) will go again. It might not be next year but possibly the year after. Next year we have an event yet to be announced right here in Jackson, MS, to celebrate Helen Keller Deaf-Blind Awareness Week.

There were ten of us in attendance. Our guest from the state of Illinois; Renee with her two kids, Jasmine (age 13) and her son Jackson (age 11) along with her friend, driver and Support Service Provider, (SSP), Kay. Also with us were from the state of Georgia, Ethel and her SSP Janice Hanvey of Helen Keller National Center Southeast Office. From the state of Mississippi were Sue, her SSP Nora, Toni Hollingsworth, Mississippi Hearing-Vision Project, and myself.

Andre surrounded by three out of the ten people in attendence

Some traveled most all day to get to Helen Keller’s Birthplace in Tuscumbia, Alabama. We arrived at about 6:30 pm and we found out the group from Georgia had arrived just before we did from Mississippi. Then while we were checking into the hotel the group from Illinois arrived. We put our bags in our rooms and went to a very good Mexican restaurant where Fish Tacos, bean dishes were served and where one person ordered the largest shrimp cocktail any of us had ever seen. The Shrimp Cocktail was served in a huge Margarita glass that was about ten inches tall and about nine inches across the top. It was loaded with all kinds of good things and boiled shrimp. We feasted! Upon leaving the restaurant, rain came down in buckets. We just returned to the Hotel. Because of rain we didn’t even try to go to the Atlanta Rhythm Section concert that night. That was alright.

Surprisingly it turned out that the Atlanta Rhythm Section was staying at our hotel… Well at breakfast Saturday morning Toni says I think that’s the Atlanta Rhythm Section right over there. Would you like to go meet them? I said sure!

They were seated when we approached them. Lead singer Rodney Justin stood up and introduced himself and some of the band members at the table. They were extremely nice and talked with us for half an hour or so. What a great moment of many moments yet to come. The day had just begun.

After breakfast, we made our way to the Helen Keller Home for a tour. The tour was unbelievably good.

The home was actually a compound of several buildings built by Helen’s grandfather two hundred years ago. He named it Ivy Green.

The main house had only a Parlor, which today would be called a living room, a dining room, four bedrooms

One thing that struck me was the apparent wealth of the Keller family to build such a compound. Back in the day a home’s value was based on the number of fireplaces. A poor family would have a small home with only one fireplace. The more fireplaces the greater the value and cost of the home. The Keller home had a fireplace in five of its seven rooms. Wow! The kitchen was in a building near the main house. The kitchen was large.

Remember back in the 1800’s wild game and some beef were butchered in people’s kitchens. There was a large table for butchering meat. A large press that was apparently made to tenderize meat by standing on the press with meat being compressed to soften it. Elaborate cooking utensils and wood burning oven and stove. On the lawn outside the kitchen door was a very large grind stone. It was turned by hand to sharpen knives of all types. The grind stone was a sign of wealth as it would have cost a month’s wages of a common man.

Across from the kitchen was an ice house. They would travel six miles to the Tennessee River to buy blocks of ice. The blocks were lowered into the small basement area of the Keller Ice House. The Ice House was small about ten or fifteen feet square with a roof shape like that of a barn. The highest part of the roof was no more than eight or nine feet high.

The Keller Compound also had the infamous “Little Cottage” used only during hunting season. This cottage was where Annie Sullivan took Helen Keller to reach Helen and teach Helen without HK’s family being around.

The day they took Helen from the main house, they dressed her for a trip. Then loaded her luggage into the carriage and rode her around for a long period of time. They then stopped the carriage at the cabin on the Keller Compound. Helen thought she was far away from home. In reality she was just a short walk away from the main Keller house.

After two weeks they moved Helen back into the main house to live. She returned to being the tyrant she was before Teacher Annie Sullivan arrived.

The famous water pump is located just outside the back door of the main house. It too was an expensive water pump. It had a water spout that projected water downward. There was no chance of spilling water by pumping too hard. All water went straight down. The handle of the pump was about two or three feet long and had a slightly curved handle for the comfort of someone pumping water. The pump is original, has been there during good times and bad and through all kinds of weather. Yet there was no sign of being damaged by rust. For those who could see or feel it the two hundred year old pump is very well crafted and has never been moved from its original location. It is the exact location where Helen Keller learned to spell the word water!

We ended up staying at the Keller home until about 1:00 pm. Then we took the shuttle to the Helen Keller Festival for lunch. About the time we sat down for lunch, the rain came and quickly turned into a downpour. It was a wonderful way to eat a hot lunch of burgers, hot sandwiches or corn dog while listening to the rain. With friends around it was great!

After lunch we went to the hotel to regroup and make plans for the evening. After some rest we split up into two groups with some going back to the Keller home for a final visit and then onto the Play, “The Miracle Worker.” The other group went straight to the home and then onto the Play.

After experiencing the Keller Compound as long and as closely as we did, the Play took on a whole new meaning. There were many heart felt moments. Tears fell and many cried at different times during the Play.

And great it was… The very end of the Play Teacher Annie Sullivan took Helen out to the Pump trying desperately to get Helen to understand words. The tyrant Helen fought every step of the way. Having water pumped onto her hand Helen turned and stomped off about ten feet and stopped. The light went on. She slowly turned walked back to Teacher and spelled the word Water. That was a powerful moment of the Play and a moment that capped off a Helen Keller experience myself and all in attendance will never forget. It was a true life experience.

The Lions Club

As you may know Helen Keller is an icon of the Lions Club who support deaf blind people and events around the world. On the Helen Keller estate there are special displays of gifts from both domestic and international Lions Clubs. There is a building with a glass wall for viewers to pass by and see many flags and banners of Lions Clubs worldwide. Mississippi is represented here.

In the outdoor area leading up to the glass wall is a garden with outdoor objects from Lions Clubs around the world. One of the most interesting to our group was a bronze statue of a Lyon in a garden. This Lion was proudly seated and sat about three feet tall. Well between his front paws was a sign that says “My name is Sue.” The irony of it all is that was someone in our group whose name is Sue who came up with the idea and was a driving force behind having the Helen Keller Festival trip on our agenda. How fitting! Sue couldn’t believe it at first and then laughed along with everyone else there.

One more interesting area to be seen near the Keller estate is called the “Clearing.” It is not a part of the tour but interesting none the less. Here you will find a Loblolly Pine tree known as the “Moon Tree”. The Moon Tree was germinated by the US Forest Service in Gulfport, Mississippi from seeds flown on the 1971 Apollo 14 mission to the moon and back. In 1976 the small tree was presented to the Clearing by the Alabama Forestry Commission.

Back to our group and interesting stories. First Renee’s group from Illinois. Renee’s friend, driver and SSP named Kay. Kay has trouble walking more than short distances. (Note, Kay is not a complainer and had it not been for Renee, we wouldn’t have known.) With the vast amount of walking we were going to have to do we were concerned. Ok, hold that thought.

Janice’s group from Georgia enters the picture. Janice drives a Ford Explorer and was going to drive it to Tuscumbia for the Helen Keller Festival. Well at the last moment, Janice couldn’t take her Explorer and had to swap it for a family member’s van. The van turned out to be a wheelchair van. Now that’s a bit interesting. Once more the van happened to have an electric three wheeler in it that also happened to be charged. The first thing Janice did when she heard about Kay having trouble walking was to offer her use of the three wheeler. That’s right. Talk about a small miracle that worked out in a big big way for Kay and all of us. Having Kay able to cruise around with us was great fun and made for a better time for everyone.

What are the odds two people who live a thousand miles from each other, who have never met or known each other, to accidently turn up with an electric three wheeler for great benefit? Then freely offer it with certainty it would help? What a group of people we were with!

Another small miracle… I myself had do get transportation to get to Helen Keller’s Birthplace in Tuscumbia, Alabama. In a desperate move I contacted Toni Hollingsworth of the Mississippi Hearing-Vision Project at The University of Southern Mississippi. I knew Toni knew of volunteer pilots who were known to make trips at little or no cost to the passenger. With no bus, no train and no driver the only hope I had to get to Tuscumbia was to fly into a small airport in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, which is just a short cab ride from Tuscumbia. If I were going to Tuscumbia, flying was the only choice I had. So I contacted Toni.

Do note, the Deaf Blind Community of Mississippi and Toni Hollingsworth of the Mississippi Hearing-Vision Project at the University of Southern Mississippi collaborated on the trip to Helen Keller’s birthplace to assure a successful deaf-blind event. So when I contacted Toni in regard to collaboration on these efforts we talked about finding a pilot. In that conversation she said she was thinking of going herself and offered me a ride. I was real happy. It looked as if I might not be able to make it to Tuscumbia when a week before the Helen Keller Festival I found out I was going! Then Toni was in touch with Sue and Nora who also rode with us. A small miracle that worked out in a big big way.

A special thank you is deserved. It was Sue M. who told us she wanted to go to the Helen Keller Festival. Then every time we turned around she would let us know again. We came to associate her smile with the event and before long we knew this trip was going to happen. And it were not for Sue, it might not have. So thank you Sue! Keep coming up with great ideas!

If you were thinking of going but didn’t. You missed out. Yeah travel, hotel, food and tickets took money that might be hard to come by. Just remember what sue said. “I’m glad I came whatever the cost. I now feel connected.” This, my friends, is the point of it all. It is worth it!