Mark Twain to Unsinkable Molly Brown; The Downtown Hannibal Missouri Walking Tour

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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.

2. Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum

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.

3. 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.

4. Benjamin Horr House

Built around 1855 by the town cooper, Benjamin Horr, the a two-story, vernacular Greek Revival style Benjamin Horr House is the earliest surviving building in Hannibal used for education. The building survives as a reminder of an era before public education became a societal norm. Elizabeth Horr, who managed the school in the house, had previously taught Mark Twain (Samuel Clemons) in a log house in Hannibal, an experience for which Twain spoke fondly. During the late 1850s, the building served as the home to the Ladies Select Academy, run by Elizabeth Horr's daughter, "Lizzie."

5. Hock Building

This historic Hannibal structure was completed in 1872 by Ireland native John Hock shortly before his passing. Hock came to Hannibal around 1860, a little more than forty years after the city's founding in 1819. Hock managed the Hannibal Gas Company, founded by a group of St. Louis businessmen in 1858. Mounting debt during the early years of the Civil War forced the group to sell the nascent business at auction. Hock purchased the company outright in 1864. and completed this building eight years later during a time when Hannibal began to experience robust commercial and financial expansion.

6. 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.

7. Robert Elliott's Wholesale Grocery Building

Constructed in 1890 by Robert Elliott to support his distribution network that supplied area grocery stores, this historic structure serves as a reminder of a period of rapid growth in Hannibal. Elliott moved with his wife to Hannibal during the 1870s and became one of the most prosperous merchants in the area. He was also a champion of free public libraries and president of several business organizations. The grocery business benefited and supported the town's prolific river trade industry. However, Elliot's immense success proved short-lived and he went bankrupt in 1897. William J. Roth, who already had a retail grocery in the west end of town, took over the building at that time.

8. Hannibal Old Police Station and Jail

The Hannibal Police Station and Jail opened in 1879 during a time of growth and expansion for the city. The population boom included an increase in prisoners, pushing the city to build a new jail. Although the building's Victorian architecture seems extravagant, city officials at the time routinely limited costs by constructing public buildings that served many purposes or agencies. The Police Station and Jail also served as home to city offices (City Hall), a courtroom, and a church.

9. Clemens Field

Hannibal's Clemens Field has been home to numerous minor-league baseball teams and was constructed during the 1930s as part of a New Deal program managed by the Works Progress Administration. The Clemens Field name is a reference to Hannibal's most famous resident: Samuel Clemons (Mark Twain). Demonstrating change over time, the ballpark later served as a German prisoner-of-war camp and then returned to hosting baseball teams after World War II. The park replaced the original structure which was built during the 1920s but destroyed in a fire. That original stadium hosted a night game five years before Major League Baseball played a game under the lights when the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro League beat the Hannibal team 16 - 1 in 1930 under the innovative traveling light system they brought on trucks. The Monarchs players were far better than those of the local nine, but these professionally usually kept games close when playing on the road as these road games were essential to their financial viability and the players earned extra money while barnstorming. As a result, this box score might provide an indication that the players did not desire to return to Hanibal owing to some aspect of their welcome.

10. Former Post Office, Court House and Federal Building in Hannibal

The United States Congress authorized the establishment of the Court House and Post Office in Hannibal, Missouri, on May 25, 1882. Imposing federal buildings often symbolized their importance and served as symbols of a town's significance. Public officials acquired the property on July 31, 1883; construction on the historic federal building finished in the summer of 1884 (in 1934, a one-story addition was added.) The building stands as the second oldest U.S. civil structure in Missouri. Its most notable feature involves the Second Empire architectural style, named for the French architectural designs routinely employed during the rule of Napoleon III (the "second empire).

11. 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.

12. Marion County Courthouse

Designed by well-known Kansas City architect James Oliver Hogg, the Neoclassical Marion County Courthouse was 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 stand-alone courthouse built in Hannibal, built simultaneously with one built in the county seat of Palmyra. After decades of debate, officials decided to divide county services and built two courthouses in both the county seat and the county's economic hub of Hannibal.

13. Ebert-Dulany House

The Ebert-Dulany House, constructed around 1865-1870 in Hannibal, is an exemplary Second Empire style home. William C. Ebert, who worked for newspapers and printing companies, built the historic home. Later, George W. Dulany, whose family existed among Hannibal's elite lumber-industry barons, purchased the house. Dulany proved significant in diversifying Hannibal's industrial base when the decline of the lumber industry at the turn of the century threatened the city's future.

14. 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.

15. "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.

This Tour is a Walking Tour.

Mark Twain to Unsinkable Molly Brown; The Downtown Hannibal Missouri Walking Tour

Created by David J. Trowbridge on June 9th 2022, 3:37:00 pm.

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Description

This walking tour begins at a pair of sites related to Mark Twain along the banks of the Mississippi River and concludes with a museum dedicated to the Unsinkable Molly Brown. The tour includes several museums and landmarks related to Hannibal and its most famous resident along with historic downtown buildings and other landmarks. 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.

Entries on This Tour

Mark Twain to Unsinkable Molly Brown; The Downtown Hannibal Missouri Walking Tour

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