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What a Wonderful World (An #AtoZChallenge Post): H is for Hannibal, Missouri

 

The brick Mark Twain Diner and the Mississippi River in the background

My husband recently re-retired, and we are front-loading travel. My #AtoZChallenge posts this year will explore our adventures--some pre-retirement, some post. Today's location: Hannibal, Missouri.

Hannibal's big claim to fame is that Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain, grew up in the town. Several of the places mentioned in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn can be visited in Hannibal, making the books come to life. 

Mark Twain's boyhood home has been made into a museum. Of course, the rooms hold many displays of artifacts from Samuel Clemens' life, including this sweet photo of two adults whose caption reads: "Laura Hawkins Frazer, my first sweetheart. I was 7 & she was 5."

A photo of Samuel Clemens with Laura Hawkins Frazer, the person who inspired the character of Becky Thatcher

One of the most charming aspects of it is the white painted fence that surrounds the property--and the bucket and brush that is there so that visitors can help whitewash the fence, just as Tom's friends did in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. 

Mark Twain's Boyhood Home and Museum, and Tom Sawyer's Fence just waiting to be whitewashed

A few miles down the road, the Mark Twain caves allow visitors to take a tour of the caves that are featured in Twain's books. Many people have explored these caves over the years, and (although it is now prohibited) have left their marks on the cave walls. It wasn't that many years ago that Samuel Clemens signature was discovered. 

The modern (paved) entrance to the Mark Twain Cave

"Clemens" is written on the cave (above the signatures on the bottom line)

Throughout the tour, places such as the post office and the treasure room are pointed out. If you have recently read the adventure books (or if you have a good memory for details) you will get even more out of the tour, but even those who haven't read the books will enjoy walking through the caves and learning more about life in Mark Twain's day. 

The treasure room in the cave still has a treasure box and coins scattered around

Come back tomorrow to see where in the world we'll visit next!


Comments

  1. Cassmob (Pauleen)April 9, 2025 at 3:33 AM

    Such an interesting place to bring the novel to life.

    Https://cassmobfamilyhistory.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KristiApril 9, 2025 at 9:35 AM

      And places come to life when there are other connections, too.

      Delete
  2. LisaApril 9, 2025 at 7:29 PM

    I've never been, but I have quite a few postcards of the town, bridges, etc. and, of course literary references and Twain house/museum.

    ReplyDelete
  3. messymimiApril 9, 2025 at 8:17 PM

    I do enjoy Twain's stories, this is another place I'd want to stop.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Donna B. McNicolApril 10, 2025 at 11:40 AM

    Our county seat is Jamestown, TN and they have a Mark Twain park. Why?

    "Twain's parents settled in Jamestown in 1827. The spring inside the park was a source of water for the early settlers including his parents. They left Jamestown in the spring of 1835 for Missouri where Twain was born in November of the same year."

    Donna: Click for my 2025 A-Z Blog

    ReplyDelete

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