Laura Bridgman

Laura Dewey Bridgman was born on a farm in rural Hanover in 1829. As a toddler she was quick to learn, and her parents came to believe that she had unusual intelligence. But at the age of two and a half, Laura contracted scarlet fever and was rendered deaf and blind.

Even with her disabilities, Laura was expected to help with certain household chores, and she was taught to knit and to sew. She liked to be busy, and was uneasy when she had nothing to do. A family friend helped Laura enjoy the natural world through her sense of touch, introducing her to the feel of a warm chick in her hand, or a cool stream flowing over her fingers. Laura drew great pleasure from these outings, which were vital to this child who could not be educated in the traditional ways.

When Laura was seven years old she came to the attention of Dr. Reuben Mussey, a Professor of Anatomy and Surgery at Dartmouth College. Mussey arranged for Laura to be sent to the Perkins Institution for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts to be educated. There she learned to read and communicate, fifty years before the more famous Helen Keller.

Laura lived out her life at the Perkins Institution. She enjoyed some well-deserved fame after meeting Charles Dickens, who visited the institution when Laura was still a young child. Dickens was much impressed with her accomplishments after only a short time at the institution and told her story in detail in his book American Notes.

Laura Bridgman died at the age of 59 and is buried in the Dana Cemetery in Hanover.