Samuel Langhorne Clemens (aka Mark Twain) 1835-1910, was a social critic, lecturer and novelist. |
Statue erected in Riverview Park, Hannibal, Missouri by the State of Missouri (1913)
"His religion was humanity; a whole world mourned for him when he died." |
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| Hannibal, Missouri |
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Missouri Backroads near
Hannibal, MIssouri |
RV and I detoured as we drove through the Missouri countryside and decided to spend a week in and around Hannibal, Missouri.
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| Hannibal Missouri |
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| View of Hannibal, Missouri |
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| Downtown and quaint Hannibal, Missouri |
Hannibal is a town all of us have read about mostly because of its relationship to Mark Twain, Huck Finn, etc., and a bygone era of the Mississippi River and riverboats. Upon entering the Missouri countryside we had an inkling of a hint this may be a little more than a sleepy little town...it's a sleepy little tourist town.
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Mark Twain Riverboat
Hannibal, Missouri |
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| Hannibal Trolley |
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| Mississippi River from Hannibal, Missouri |
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| Mark Twain Campground |
Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) is everywhere, yet he wasn't born here and he didn't die here. In 1839, his life in Hannibal began when he was about 4 years old when his family relocated by wagon from a sleepy hamlet about 30 miles away,
Florida, Missouri.
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| Mark Twain stone sculpture at Illinois-Missouri Bridge |
Samuel Clemens' brief education was in a country schoolhouse of 25 girls and boys of different ages. Samuel Clemens moved away in 1863, and did not return to the Mississippi River area until 1882 to do research on a book. The last visit he made to Hannibal was in the year 1902, about 8 years before he died at his home in
Elmira, New York.
In an effort to catch the full flavor of Hannibal and not wanting to miss anything this town had to offer, we stayed at the Mark Twain Cave and Campground (the cave existed in Samuel Clemens' youth). For $20 each you tour the cave, and then as you leave there's a complimentary wine tasting, gem mine and HUGE souvenir shop...lots of free parking.
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| Gem Mine - Mark Twain Campground |
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| Wine Tasting - Mark Twain Campground |
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| Mark Twain Campground and Cave |
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Gift Shop - Ticket Shop - Ice Cream Shop - Theatre
Mark Twain Campground |
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| Mark Twain Campground and Cave |
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| Mark Twin Cave - Hannibal, Missouri |
After exploring Hannibal, it is evident Mark Twain left an indelible impression on this quaint little town, most of it having lots of economic impact. A few examples:
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| Mark Twain Riverboat - Hannibal, Missouri |
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Entrance to Mark Twain Cave and Campground Complex
Hannibal, Missouri |
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| Silver Creek Fun Park - Hannibal, Missouri |
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| Huck Finn Shopping Center - Hannibal, Missouri |
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| Mark Twain Lake - Missouri State Park |
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Mark Twain Dinette
Hannibal, Missouri |
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| Mark Twain Dinette - Hannibal, Missouri |
Mark Twain Museum Interpretive Center
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| Wood carved Dioramas in Interpretive Center |
Mrs. Clemens' Shoppes
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| Mrs. Clemens' Shoppes - Hannibal, Missouri |
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| Huck and Tom Statue - Hannibal, Missouri |
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Aunt Polly's Treasures
Hannibal, Missouri |
Finn's Food and Spirits
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| Finn's Food & Spirits - Hannibal, Missouri |
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| Becky Thatcher's Diner - Hannibal, Missouri |
A Few More......
(Note: Numerous commercial businesses containing the names of the above have been omitted).
If you didn't know,
Molly Brown, as in the "
Titanic" "
Unsinkable Molly Brown" is also from Hannibal, Missouri. If you have any leftover time you can visit the original and historic Molly Brown Museum and Home.
After visiting Hannibal we wanted to research the life of Samuel L. Clemens and discovered a newly published autobiography,
Autobiography of Mark Twain (not published until the year 2010, at the instructions of the author until 100 years after his death). The
Autobiography, an immediate best seller, was not started until Clemens was in his 40's, and reads as if he is dictating a story and is interestingly historical, as he portrays "
a life voyage". He discusses his boyhood in Hannibal sixty years prior in the book, and much, much more.
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