Could you imagine being declared insane and unjustly confined based solely on your husband’s opinion? Attend a special event on june 12th to witness a first-person portrayal of Elizabeth Packard, a past figure who battled wrongful institutionalization and fought for women’s rights [3]. Discover teh story of Elizabeth Packard and her unwavering fight against unjust laws that allowed husbands to commit their wives to asylums without due process, a battle vividly brought to life by award-winning reenactor Laura Keyes.
Event Description
Mark your calendars for an outstanding history event!
The Jacksonville Area Museum will be presenting a first-person interpretation of Elizabeth Packard on Thursday, June 12, 2025, 6 pm, hosted at Sibert Theatre at Illinois College in Jacksonville, Illinois. Elizabeth Packard’s story was made famous by the book ‘The Woman They Could Not Silence’ by Kate Moore.
Elizabeth Packard will be portrayed by Laura Keyes, award-winning re-enactor. Laura Keyes graduated from UW-Madison with a Master’s Degree in Library Studies, and is a lifetime member of the Association of Lincoln Presenters. Laura recently won the Excellence in Performing Award from that Association.
Elizabeth Parsons Ware Packard was committed to the Illinois State Hospital (the state mental asylum) in 1860, and was kept under lock and key for three years, all the while protesting her sanity. While her husband, Theophilus, insisted to everyone – Elizabeth’s children, extended family, neighbors, friends, and the asylum employees – that she was, in fact, insane, Elizabeth was able to obtain her release.
But her battle did not stop there. Conscious of the fact that the current law allowed married women to be placed in asylums by their husbands without the benefit of a formal trial or medical examination, Elizabeth started a campaign to change that unjust law. Hear from Elizabeth Packard in April 1864, while the Civil War rages around the nation, and her private war is raging in her soul.
The museum has an ongoing exhibit about the Illinois State Hospital, which we encourage everyone to visit to bring and even broader perspective to this story.
The performance is free to attend. Seating is first-come and not reserved. The portrayal will run approximately 60 minutes, followed by a question and answer session. Learn more about Laura Keyes at www.LauraFKeyes.com or www.facebook.com/HistoricVoices
