Welcome to Hannibal, Missouri, home of Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, who immortalized his home town in such books as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
The town sits on the Mississippi River some 50 miles north of St. Louis and joyously celebrates its favorite son. His home is open for tours. The famous fence still stands on one side of a square lined by other important Twain sites including his father's law office, the House of the Pilasters and Becky Thatcher's house.
I took a self-guided tour through the house. A small museum in the building housed authentic Twain memorabilia such as a typewriter and suit, Twain's writing desk, and an organ from his home.
The commercial block along Main Street has a series of historic markers that preserve the history of the buildings and help link history to fiction.
The jail is no longer standing, but its location is marked.
Cardiff Hill rises at the end of the main street. A statue of Tom and Huck stands at the bottom. The hardy visitor can climb the hill on old steps to visit the lighthouse which is the only inland lighthouse. Here's a closeup of the lighthouse; now get a longer view.
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