Play offers glimpse into Mary Ingalls’ life

Many people are familiar with the stories of Laura Ingalls Wilder, the author famous for the 'Little House on the Prairie” books describing her family's life on the American frontier in the 1800s.

Fewer may realize Laura's sister Mary spent eight years as a student at the Iowa College of the Blind, now known as the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School, in Vinton.

To increase awareness of Mary's story and of the school's long history in Iowa, a small group of Vinton residents formed the Mary Ingalls Society two years ago.

Their efforts are paying off. Earlier this year, the group got approval for the school to be designated an official Ingalls historic site by the Little House Historic Trust, which works to protect Laura Ingalls Wilder's legacy. The society is setting up a museum on school grounds dedicated to Mary's time there. Scheduled to open in early August, the museum will highlight Mary's life and the overall history of the school, which opened in 1852.

Society members also have written an original play documenting Mary's story. The show, 'Mary Ingalls - Her Journey,” will be presented at the school Aug. 1 and 2 by the Act 1 community theater group of Benton County.

The play will be followed by a 30-minute organ presentation on the 1902 MD Moller, Opus. Organized tours of the school grounds also will be available for people who are interested.

The play was written by society members Carolyn Hibbs, a former teacher at the school, and Nancy Beckman, who is involved with Act 1. Beckman said she wants the depiction of Mary's life to offer a glimpse into the school's impact.

'Our desire is to see her triumph from a person who was totally dependent to someone who is amazingly independent,” Beckman said. 'We show the skills she learned and her ability to contribute to the income of her family.”

The story starts before Mary lost her sight at age 14, chronicles her loss of sight and follows her as she enrolls at the school, which she attended from age 16 to 24. It ends with her life after graduating in 1889, when she went on to live with her parents in De Smet, S.D.

Beckman said distilling Mary's life took a lot of effort and editing. Each element was vetted and approved by the Little House Historic Trust.

'It's just snippets. We began with an epic and ended up with a Reader's Digest version,” Beckman said. 'The Little House books talk about Mary turning blind and its effect on the family, but they don't talk about anything at the school. Our hope is that people will be interested in seeing this other chapter.”

If you go

'What

: 'Mary Ingalls: Her Journey”

'Where

: Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School auditorium, 1002 G. Ave., Vinton

'When

: 7 p.m. Aug. 1 and 2

'Cost

: $10

'More information

: Act1.org or (319) 214-0096