June 10, 2007

Hannibal is the charming hometown of American literary legend, Mark Twain

It was a gray day in front of Huck Finn's home

We learned here that Huck Finn was of more modest means then Tom Sawyer

We gathered for a photo in front of Mark Twain's home

We enjoyed seeing the inside of the Twain home

Numerous Twain quotes adorned the space

The Twain family kitchen

We could imagine Tom Sawyer (Mark Twain) growing up here

The Famous Tom Sawyer Fence

Darby and Grayson had just read the portion from "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"

where he convinces his friends to pay him to allow them to have a chance

at whitewashing the family fence

Across the street from Tom Sawyer lived Becky Thatcher

We caught a glimpse of Becky Thatcher's childhood inside her home

We headed down to the Mississippi to board the Riverboat

We felt as we had stepped back in time 100+ years

The lighthouse found on Cardiff Hill

This lighthouse was erected in 1935 to commemorate the Centennial of Twain's birth

Darby is all smiles on the Mississippi

Figures in the museum depict the grown Mark Twain

as well as his boyhood Tom Sawyer

Mom, Darby, and Grayson all practice whitewashing the fence

Grayson and Darby pose as Tom and Becky!

Mark Twain's father's law office

As a boy Mark Twain avoided going home one evening due to some mischief he had made and instead opted to spend the night in his dad's office.  It was dark, but as the moonlight streamed through the window he noticed a lifeless figure on the floor.  It was the dead body of a man that had been murdered that evening.  Twain's father and authorities were storing it there for the night as this was a time before morgues.  Twain was frightened to death and ran home to accept his punishment!

Inside the Apothecary next door to Twain's father's law office

Downtown Hannibal

We ventured into the cave where Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher became lost

and encountered Injun Joe!

The cave was an easy walk and extremely fascinating

We enjoyed seeing the graffiti that was on the cave walls that dates back over 100 years. 

Graffiti has been banned since the early 1900s and entry into the cave is strictly with a guide

The far bridge in the distance is the Mark Twain Memorial Bridge

President Roosevelt gave a dedication address for this bridge - this is the view from

Lover's Leap

The statue of Tom and Huck is found at the base of Cardiff Hill

We climbed the 200+ steps to ascend Cardiff Hill

In addition to the fame Mark Twain brought Hannibal, it is also the childhood

home of the "Unsinkable Molly Brown" from the Titanic