Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum
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The Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum is located in Hannibal, Missouri on the west bank of the Mississippi River in the United States. Mark Twain (real name: Samuel Langhorne Clemens) lived in Hannibal during his boyhood, from 1839 to 1853. The boyhood home (located at 208 Hill Street) was restored as a museum and has been open to the public in some form since 1912. The legendary whitewashed fence of Tom Sawyer borders the property. There are six additional museum buildings as part of the complex - the Interpretive Center, Becky Thatcher House, Huck Finn House, J.M Clemens Justice of the Peace Office, Grant's Drug Store, and the Museum Gallery, located at 120 N. Main St.
The museum recently acquired the "Becky Thatcher" house (home of Clemens' childhood sweetheart, Laura Hawkins). It also serves as a bookstore and gift shop. During the summer of 2006, the museum completed work on a replica of the "Huck Finn" house (home of Tom Blankenship, the boy upon whom Twain based the character of Huckleberry Finn). The close proximity of the Mississippi River, the Mark Twain Cave, and other settings found in Twain's novel lures thousands of visitors to the museum each year.
The museum's collection includes many first editions by Mark Twain, numerous personal items (including his Oxford gown), and a vast array of Twain memorabilia. There are many interactive exhibits including a replica stagecoach and river raft. The museum also houses the second largest collection of original Norman Rockwell paintings. These paintings were commissioned as illustrations for a special edition of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The museum also hosts regional art and touring exhibits.
The museum sponsors many events throughout the year including children's events. Their educational outreach programs include teacher workshops, young author workshops [1], and a creative teaching award.
