Jacksonville State Hospital patient Elizabeth Packard, “The Woman They Could Not Silence” portrayal on June 12 at Illinois College’s Sibert Theater

The Jacksonville Area Museum will present a first-person interpretation of Elizabeth Packard, a woman unjustly committed to the Jacksonville State Hospital, on Thursday, June 12, 2025 at 6 pm in Sibert Theatre at Illinois College in Jacksonville. 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, an award-winning re-enactor. 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 in Jacksonville (the state mental asylum) in 1860, and was kept under lock and key for three years, all the while protesting her sanity. Her husband Theophilus insisted to everyone that Elizabeth was insane, including Elizabeth’s children, extended family, neighbors, friends, and the asylum employees, but Elizabeth fought for and was eventually able to obtain her release.

Elizabeth’s battle did not stop there. She started a campaign to change the unjust law that allowed married women to be placed in asylums by their husbands without the benefit of a formal trial or medical examination. The June 12 performance will allow the audience to hear from Elizabeth Packard in April 1864 while the Civil War was raging around the nation and a private war was raging in her soul.

The performance is free to attend and is a companion piece to the museum’s current Jacksonville State Hospital exhibit. 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