Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum

he frame house known as the Mark Twain Boyhood Home was constructed around 1843 or 1844. The John Marshall Clemens family lived here until leaving town in 1853. Following their departure, this became a rental property. In 1911, it was scheduled for demolition to make way for a larger building.

The Hannibal Commercial Club (forerunner to the Chamber of Commerce) started a fund drive to save the house. Mr. George A. Mahan stepped forward and purchased the house, fixed it up, and gave it to the City of Hannibal on May 15, 1912. At that time Mr. Mahan said:

“Mr. Mayor, I take pleasure in presenting the boyhood home of Mark Twain to the city and the people of Hannibal with the hope and in the full belief that it will be so maintained and used, as to be an inspiration to them, to the people of Missouri and to the world as well.”

For a number of years, a caretaker lived in most of the rooms and showed the parlor to the public. The Mark Twain Centennial in 1935 was very successful. One feature was a temporary Mark Twain Museum. This led to the erection of the stone building just uphill of the Boyhood Home to serve as a museum. The caretaker moved into upstairs rooms of the museum in 1937 and the remainder of the Boyhood Home was opened to the public.

Preparation for the Mark Twain Sesquicentennial in 1985 led to installation of the metal viewing platform along the uphill side of the home. A full restoration of the home was planned and occurred in 1990-1991. This included rebuilding two rooms at the rear that had been removed about 1885. A complete restoration in 1990-1991 stabilized the structure and rebuilt two rooms removed in the 1880s.

The Boyhood Home has been open to the public since 1912, making it one of the earliest historic house preservation efforts in the country. It is on both the National Register of Historic Places and is designated as a National Historic Landmark.