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Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum facts for kids
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Mark Twain Boyhood Home
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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 Location in Missouri
Location in the United States
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| Location | 206–208 Hill Street, Hannibal, Missouri, United States |
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| 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 found at 206-208 Hill Street in Hannibal, Missouri. This city is on the west bank of the famous Mississippi River in the United States. This house was the home of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, who we know as the author Mark Twain. He lived here from 1844 to 1853. While living in this home, Clemens found ideas for many of his stories. This includes the famous white picket fence from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The home has been a museum open to the public since 1912. It was named a National Historic Landmark on December 29, 1962. The museum is part of the larger Mark Twain Historic District.
Contents
Exploring the Mark Twain Museum Buildings
The Boyhood Home is one of nine buildings that make up the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum complex today. The famous whitewashed fence, just like in the story of Tom Sawyer, stands around the property. There are seven more museum buildings in the complex. These include the Interpretive Center, the Becky Thatcher House, and the Huck Finn House. You can also see J.M. Clemens Justice of the Peace Office and Grant's Drug Store. A stone building built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) holds a gift shop. The Museum Gallery is located at 120 N. Main St.
The Becky Thatcher and Huck Finn Houses
The museum now owns the "Becky Thatcher" house. This was the home of Laura Hawkins, who was Clemens' childhood sweetheart. Her character inspired Becky Thatcher. The outside of this house was fixed up in 2010. The inside reopened for visitors in 2016.
In 2006, the museum finished building a copy of the "Huck Finn" house. This house represents the home of Tom Blankenship. Twain based the character of Huckleberry Finn on Tom. Exhibits inside the Huck Finn House teach about Hannibal's history with slavery.
Statues and Gardens at the Museum
The museum also takes care of the Tom and Huck Statue. This statue is at the bottom of Cardiff Hill. It was put up in 1926. It is one of the first statues ever made to honor characters from a book. Other interesting parts of the museum properties include the Boyhood Home garden area. A tall stone wall built by the WPA surrounds this garden. The Mississippi River is very close by. The Mark Twain Cave and other places from Twain's novels are also nearby. Thousands of people visit the museum each year because of these connections.
Discovering Mark Twain's Collections
The museum has many interesting items in its collection. You can see many first editions of Mark Twain's books. There are also many of his personal items. These include his Oxford gown and the only known white suit coat he owned. The museum has a huge collection of Twain memorabilia. This includes the death mask of his baby son, Langdon. There is also a jewelry box Twain had carved in Italy for his wife, Olivia.
Interactive Exhibits and Famous Art
Many exhibits let you interact and learn. You can explore a copy of a stagecoach and a river raft. These exhibits help bring to life specific books by Twain. These books include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and The Innocents Abroad. You can also learn about Roughing It and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. Visitors can even blow a real steamboat whistle. You can look out at the Mississippi River as you do this.
The museum also has the second largest collection of original Norman Rockwell paintings. These paintings were made to illustrate a special edition of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The museum also shows art from the local area and traveling exhibits.
Events and Celebrations at the Museum
The museum hosts many events throughout the year. These include special events for children. Their educational programs help teachers and young writers. They offer workshops for writers and scholarly conferences. They also give an award for creative teaching. On May 15, 2012, the museum celebrated its 100th anniversary. They announced a new "Mark Twain Lifetime Achievement Award." Hal Holbrook was the first person to receive this award.
Music and Stories of Mark Twain
In 2011, the museum released Mark Twain: Words & Music. This was a two-CD project that told Twain's life story. It used both spoken words and songs. Grammy award-winner Carl Jackson produced this project. It was released by Mailboat Records. Famous voices were part of the project. Jimmy Buffett played Huckleberry Finn. Garrison Keillor was the narrator. Clint Eastwood played Mark Twain. Angela Lovell played Susy Clemens.
Many singers also took part. These included Emmylou Harris, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, and Rhonda Vincent. Other singers were Bradley Walker, Carl Jackson, The Church Sisters, and Sheryl Crow. Brad Paisley, Marty Raybon, Val Storey, Vince Gill, Joe Diffie, and Ricky Skaggs also sang. Cindy Lovell, who was the museum's executive director then, wrote the story for the CDs. Several new songs were also written for the project.
Summer Fun and Tom Sawyer Days
In the summer, many thousands of people visit the museum. The town of Hannibal celebrates National Tom Sawyer Days every year around the 4th of July. This celebration includes fun contests like whitewashing fences and frog jumping. The boyhood home is a main part of these exciting events.