Mark Twain House facts for kids
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Mark Twain House
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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| Location | 351 Farmington Avenue, Hartford, Connecticut |
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| Built | 1874 |
| Architect | Edward Tuckerman Potter |
| Architectural style | Victorian Gothic |
| Website | www.marktwainhouse.org |
| Part of | Nook Farm and Woodland Street District (ID79002674) |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000884 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | December 29, 1962 |
| Designated CP | November 29, 1979 |
The Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford, Connecticut, was the home of famous writer Samuel Langhorne Clemens, also known as Mark Twain. He lived there with his family from 1874 to 1891. The house was designed by Edward Tuckerman Potter. It looks like a Victorian Gothic castle, but some say it also looks like a steamboat or a cuckoo clock!
Mark Twain wrote many of his most famous books here. These include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Prince and the Pauper, Life on the Mississippi, and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
The Clemens family moved to Europe in 1891 because of money problems. They had made some bad investments. Mark Twain, his wife Olivia, and their daughter Clara traveled in 1895–96. Twain gave lectures to earn money and pay off their debts.
Sadly, their daughter Susy died at home in 1896 while they were away. After this tragedy, the family could not live in the house anymore. They spent most of their time living abroad and sold the house in 1903.
The building was later used as a school, an apartment building, and a public library. In 1929, a group called the Mark Twain Memorial saved it from being torn down. The house was named a National Historic Landmark in 1962. It opened as a museum in 1974. In 2003, a new visitors' center was built. It has a museum that shows Twain's life and work.
The museum faced money problems in 2008. But the state of Connecticut, companies, and other donors helped. Writers also organized a special show to raise money. The museum's financial situation has improved since then.
In 2012, the museum had record numbers of visitors. Famous writers like Stephen King and Judy Blume have visited. The museum also hosts writing programs and awards. In 2012, The Ten Best of Everything by National Geographic Books named the Mark Twain House one of the ten best historic homes in the world.
Contents
Why Mark Twain Moved to Hartford
Mark Twain first came to Hartford in 1868. He was working with a publisher there. Hartford was a big center for publishing books at that time.
After marrying Olivia Langdon, Twain lived in Buffalo, New York. But he wanted to move to a grander house in Hartford. He also wanted to be closer to his publisher.
In 1871, the family rented a house in an area called Nook Farm. Later, they bought land there to build their new home. Twain loved Hartford. He said it was the most beautiful town he had ever seen. Hartford also had the highest income per person of any U.S. city back then.
Building the Mark Twain House
The house was designed by Edward Tuckerman Potter. He was an architect from New York City. When it was being built, a local newspaper said it would be famous. This was because of its unique design and its famous owner. Mrs. Clemens paid for the house using money she inherited.
The home is built in the Victorian Gothic Revival style. This style often has a steep roof and uneven bay windows. Some people say the house was made to look like a riverboat. It is also described as being in the Stick style of Victorian architecture.
In 1881, the family bought more land next to the house. They also made many changes to the home. The driveway was moved, the kitchen was made bigger, and the front hall was enlarged. They also added new plumbing, heating, and a burglar alarm. After all these changes, the house cost about $70,000. The furniture cost $22,000, and the land cost $31,000.
Life Inside the House
The Clemens family moved into their new home in 1874. The top floor had a billiards room and Mark Twain's private study. He would write there late at night. This room was usually off limits to everyone except the cleaning staff. Twain also used it to entertain male guests with cigars. He once joked that there should be a room in the house just for swearing!
The children had their own special area. This included a nursery and a playroom/classroom. Mrs. Clemens taught her daughters in a large school room on the second floor. Mark Twain loved to play with his children in the conservatory. He would pretend to be an elephant on an imaginary safari. He said the house felt like a part of their family.
Twain enjoyed living in the house because many other writers lived nearby. These included Harriet Beecher Stowe, who lived next door, and Isabella Beecher Hooker. He also invited many famous authors and actors to his home.
Mark Twain wrote many of his best books here. These include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and Life on the Mississippi (1883). After Tom Sawyer was a success, he updated the house. He hired Louis Comfort Tiffany to help decorate the inside in 1881. Twain was also interested in new inventions. He had one of the first telephones installed in his home.
Twain invested a lot of money in a new typesetting machine. He also started a publishing company called Charles L. Webster & Company. This company published his own books, and also a very popular book by Ulysses S. Grant. Their first book was Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1884.
However, the company went bankrupt in 1894. The typesetting machine never worked well. This left Twain with a lot of debt. Because of these money problems, the Clemens family moved to Europe in 1891. Living there was cheaper. Twain began giving lectures across Europe to earn money. He rented out the house and only returned once in 1895. He wrote that he wished they could live in the house forever. He called it "the loveliest home that ever was."
After the Twains Left
Katharine Seymour Day was a relative of Harriet Beecher Stowe. She knew the Clemens family. In 1929, she saved the Twain House from being destroyed. She started a group that raised money to buy the house.
The house was carefully restored between 1955 and 1974. It took many years to pay off the debt and raise money for repairs. They also worked to find original furniture and items that belonged to the family. The restoration finished in 1974, just in time for the house's 100th anniversary.
Today, you can visit the Mark Twain House by taking a guided tour. The museum also offers many events. These include lectures, writing workshops, and family activities.
House Renovation and Museum
The house had a big renovation starting in 1999. Workers repaired the outside wood, tiles, and brick. They also rebuilt the purple slate roofs. The goal was to make the house look like it did between 1881 and 1891. This was when the Clemens family loved the house the most.
The marble floor in the front hallway was restored. Experts repainted the walls and ceilings and fixed the woodwork. This brought back the beautiful designs by Louis Comfort Tiffany. The restoration received money from special grants. In 2016, the Mahogany Suite was fully restored.
Today, the home has 50,000 items. These include old papers, photos, family furniture, and Tiffany glass. Many original items are still there. These include the Clemens' fancy Venetian bed, a carved mantelpiece from a Scottish Castle, and a billiard table.
The museum's leaders decided they needed to expand. They hired Robert A. M. Stern to design a new visitors' center. This center was built next to the Carriage House. It was the first "green museum" in America to get a special environmental certification.
The center cost $16.3 million and is about 35,000 square feet. It holds many items from the museum's collection that are not shown in the house. It also has a lecture hall and classrooms. Since the museum opened in 2003, more people have visited.
The house faced financial challenges after building the Visitors Center. But the state government, companies, and many others helped. By 2011, museum officials said they had recovered financially.
In 2011, a writer named Steve Courtney published a book about the house's history. It includes a foreword by Hal Holbrook, who is a trustee of the house.
Gallery
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From the west, 1970
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From the northeast, with the Mark Twain carriage house in the background, 1995
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From the north, 1995
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From the south, 1995
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From the southeast, 2004
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From the east, 2007
See also
In Spanish: Casa de Mark Twain para niños
- Stormfield
- List of National Historic Landmarks in Connecticut
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Hartford, Connecticut
- North American Reciprocal Museums
