Mark Twain and Downtown Hannibal Missouri Walking Tour

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The Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum is dedicated to promoting the legacy of writer Mark Twain (1835-1910) and preserving the historic properties associated with him here in Hannibal, most notably the house in which lived in between c.1843-1853. The museum complex consists of eight buildings, a garden, and a statue depicting two of Twain's famous characters, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. The historic structures are: the Boyhood Home, the WPA Stone Building (located next to the home), the John M. Clemens Justice of the Peace Office, Grant's Drug Store, the Becky Thatcher House, the Interpretive Center, the Huckleberry Finn House, and the Museum Gallery building. The Interpretive Center is the starting point for museum visitors, and the Museum Gallery building features exhibits displaying Twain books and items belonging to him, as well as 15 original Norman Rockwell paintings depicting Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. The Boyhood Home is a National Historic Landmark and a contributing property of the Mark Twain Historic District (some of the buildings of the museum complex are contributing properties to the district as well). The museum opened in 1912 when the Boyhood Home was donated to the city.

2. Hannibal History Museum

Established in 2011, the Hannibal History Museum tells the story of the city's rich history. Exhibits trace this history beginning with the Native Americans who lived in the area and the city's founding. Other exhibits explore the antebellum and Civil War periods, the lumber industry, the city's economic growth of the 20th century, art and architecture, and notable figures from Hannibal including "the unsinkable" Molly Brown, who survived the sinking of the Titanic cruise ship and became a leading activist and social reformer of the period. In addition, the museum also offers guided historic Hannibal tours and haunted ghost tours.

3. William Henry Hatch Statue

Located in Central Park, this statue honors notable Hannibal resident William Henry Hatch (1833-1896), who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1873 to 1895. He is best known for his work to pass the Hatch Act of 1887, which granted federal funds to land-grant colleges to create agricultural experiment stations. As a result, American agricultural output improved significantly. Next to the statue is a historical marker providing a brief description of Hatch's life.

4. Eighth and Center Street Missionary Baptist Church

The Eighth and Center Street Missionary Baptist Church is home to the oldest African-American congregation in Hannibal. Built in 1872, it is located in the Douglasville neighborhood, which is one of the oldest areas in the city. It was designed in the Romanesque style and constructed with red bricks; it also features several stained glass windows. The church, which is the second building erected at this location (the first was built in 1853), is an important religious and social landmark for the African American community. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. In 2016, the Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation placed the church on its "Places in Peril" list due to declining membership and maintenance costs. The church appears to still be active today.

5. Marion County Courthouse

The Marion County Courthouse is a beautiful Neoclassical-style building erected in 1901. It features architectural elements typical of the style including Corinthian columns, and a portico. In the center is a large octagonal dome that is topped with an octagonal lantern. The courthouse was the only one built in Hannibal and remains in good condition today. It was designed by well-known Kansas City architect James Oliver Hogg and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. The courthouse is actually one of the two courthouses in the county; the other is in Palmyra, which is the county seat. This situation is the result of the establishment of a court of Common Pleas in 1844 in Hannibal.

6. Rockcliffe Mansion

Built in 1898 and designed in the Georgian Revival style, Rockcliffe Mansion is one of the largest and most beautiful buildings in Hannibal. It was built on a bluff overlooking the city and the Mississippi River by wealthy lumber baron John J. Cruikshank Jr. in 1898. The exterior of the house features numerous interesting design elements including Corinthian columns, a two-story portico, arched windows, and a cupola on the center of the roof. As one may expect, the interior is elaborately designed, specifically in the Late Victorian and Art Nouveau styles. There are 30 rooms, 10 unique marble and tiled fireplaces, Tiffany-designed stained glass windows, chandeliers, hand-carved woodwork, and antique furnishings and fixtures, most of which are original to the mansion. The mansion now operates as a museum and bed and breakfast hotel.

7. "Unsinkable" Molly Brown Birthplace & Museum

This simple two-story home was where famous wealthy socialite, social activist, traveler, and philanthropist Margaret Tobin Brown (1867-1932), was born. Brown acquired the nickname "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" for her actions that helped others survive the sinking of the Titanic on April 15, 1912. Visitors to the museum will see a room furnished in the mid-1900s context of the city of Hannibal after the Civil War and her experiences as a survivor of the Titanic. Brown lived until 1932 and used her fame as a survivor and heroine of the Titanic to support social and political causes she supported such as women's suffrage.

8. Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse

The Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse honors the life and legacy of American writer, Mark Twain, who grew up here in Hannibal. The lighthouse, which is merely ornamental and not a navigational aid, is located on Cardiff Hill, which is where two of Twain's more popular fictional characters—Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn—played with their friends. The current structure is not the original one, which was first erected in 1935 to commemorate Twain's 100th birthday. A second lighthouse was built in 1960 after the first was blown over by a windstorm. This one was torn down and replaced by the current structure in 2019. Visitors reach the lighthouse via a staircase that leads up from Rock Street (it also appears that one can reach it from the Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn statue on North Street). The site also includes an interpretive sign describing the history of the lighthouse. It is not clear whether visitors can climb inside it.

This Tour is a Walking Tour.

Mark Twain and Downtown Hannibal Missouri Walking Tour

Created by Clio Admin on July 8th 2019, 10:08:45 pm.

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Description

This walking tour begins at Mark Twain's Boyhood Home and Museum and concludes at the Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse on the banks of the Mississippi River. The tour includes several museums and landmarks related to Hannibal and its most famous resident. Highlights of the tour include the Hannibal History Museum, a statue of Congressman William Hatch, Rockcliffe Mansion, and the birthplace of Unsinkable Molly Brown who survived the Titanic and used her celebrity status to support social issues including women's suffrage.

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Mark Twain and Downtown Hannibal Missouri Walking Tour

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