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Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum facts for kids

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Mark Twain Boyhood Home
U.S. Historic district
Contributing property
TwainBoyhoodHomeMuseum.jpg
Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum is located in Missouri
Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum
Location in Missouri
Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum is located in the United States
Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum
Location in the United States
Location 206–208 Hill Street, Hannibal, Missouri, United States
Area less than one acre
Built 1844
NRHP reference No. 66000419
Significant dates
Added to NRHP October 15, 1966
Designated NHL December 29, 1962

The Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum is a special place in Hannibal, Missouri. It's located on the west bank of the Mississippi River. This was the home of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, a very famous author. He lived here from 1844 to 1853. Many of his amazing stories, like the one about the white picket fence, were inspired by his time here. The home became a museum in 1912. It was named a National Historic Landmark in 1962. It is part of the Mark Twain Historic District.

What You'll See There

The Boyhood Home is one of nine buildings that make up the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum. You can see the famous whitewashed fence from the story of Tom Sawyer here.

The museum complex includes seven other buildings:

  • The Interpretive Center
  • The Becky Thatcher House
  • The Huck Finn House
  • J.M. Clemens Justice of the Peace Office
  • Grant's Drug Store
  • A stone building with a gift shop
  • The Museum Gallery

The "Becky Thatcher" house was the home of Laura Hawkins. She was a childhood friend of Clemens. Her house was fixed up in 2010 and opened inside in 2016.

In 2006, the museum built a copy of the "Huck Finn" house. This was the home of Tom Blankenship. He was the boy who inspired the character of Huckleberry Finn. Inside the Huck Finn House, you can learn about Hannibal's history with slavery.

The museum also takes care of the Tom and Huck Statue. It is at the bottom of Cardiff Hill. This statue was put up in 1926. It is one of the first statues ever made to honor characters from books. Other cool parts of the museum include the Boyhood Home garden. It has a tall stone wall built by the WPA. The Mississippi River, the Mark Twain Cave, and other places from Twain's books are nearby. Thousands of people visit the museum every year.

Amazing Collections

The museum has many interesting things. You can see first editions of Mark Twain's books. There are also many of his personal items. These include his gown from the Oxford and his only known white suit coat.

The museum also has lots of Twain memorabilia. You can see a special jewelry box Twain had carved in Italy for his wife, Olivia. There are many fun, interactive exhibits too. You can sit in a copy of a stagecoach or a river raft. These exhibits help you learn about Twain's books:

Visitors can even blow a real steamboat whistle. You can look out at the Mississippi River while you do it! The museum also has a large collection of original Norman Rockwell paintings. These paintings were made for special editions of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The museum also shows art from the area and traveling exhibits.

Fun Events

The museum hosts many events all year long. These include special events for children. They also have programs for teachers and young writers. They even have awards for creative teaching. In 2012, the museum started the "Mark Twain Lifetime Achievement Award." Hal Holbrook was the first person to receive it. This was to celebrate the museum's 100th birthday.

In 2011, the museum released Mark Twain: Words & Music. This was a two-CD set that told Twain's life story with spoken words and songs. It was made by Grammy award-winner Carl Jackson. Famous people like Jimmy Buffett (as Huckleberry Finn) and Clint Eastwood (as Mark Twain) were part of it. Many great singers also performed.

During the summer, many visitors come to the museum. The town of Hannibal celebrates National Tom Sawyer Days every year around the 4th of July. They have whitewashing and frog jumping contests. The boyhood home is a very important part of these celebrations.

See also