Support the Museum
Ways to Give:
Our two most pressing needs are the "10 by 10" Campaign and Historic Preservation
Opportunities to Make a Difference
"10 by 10" Campaign - A Symbolic Whitewashing of Tom Sawyer's Fence:
The year 2010 marks the 100th anniversary of Mark Twain's death and the 175th anniversary of his birth. As the stewards of the museum consider the ongoing care of the eight museum properties and Clemens family artifacts housed here, we realize we must invite all those who love Mark Twain to join us in caring for these irreplaceable treasures. Therefore, with your help, we seek to establish a $10 million endowment by the end of 2010 - "10 by 10" - to ensure operations of the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum for future generations to enjoy. Visitors travel from all corners of the globe to see the boyhood home where young Sam Clemens enjoyed many adventures. Now we are asking everyone to join us in preserving that home and the other properties that are a legacy to America's greatest author. Will you please contribute to this fund now to ensure its ongoing operation? Donors' names will be written on the famous whitewashed fence in honor of their support.
Named and Memorial Endowments are also available.
Click here to Make a Contribution Online
Historic Preservation Fund:
The museum maintains eight historically significant properties, six of which are on the National Register of Historic Places. The Boyhood Home is a National Historic Landmark. Today three of the museum's properties require extensive restoration and rehabilitation. The Becky Thatcher House, the Grant's Drugstore-Pilaster House, and the John M. Clemens Justice of the Peace Office are in a serious state of disrepair. In May 2009, Missouri Preservation added Grant's Drug Store to its "Most Endangered Buildings" list. Access to the buildings is already limited, and without the strengthening of the structures and thorough attention to the buildings' fabric, these symbols of our national cultural heritage are in danger. We have recently completed the restoration of the exterior of the Becky Thatcher House, but without additional funding we cannot move forward and restore the interior, which is planned to house exhibits depicting childhood in the mid-1800s. We need your help!
Click here to Make a Contribution Online
One Book, One Buck:
Whether you have read one book by Mark Twain or all of the books he has written, your special "thank you" to Mark Twain will help us tremendously. Copyrights for his works expired long ago, so royalties are no longer paid on his most famous and enduring works. Therefore, we are asking every fan of Mark Twain to "do the math" and count how many of his books you have read, and then send "one buck" for each book! There is no easier way for you to say thanks to Mr. Twain while supporting the museum at the same time. These funds will be used toward our operations endowment. That way we know the museum properties will be here for many years to come.
Click here to Make a Contribution Online
Exhibits:
As we refurbish these historic treasures we will be adding new exhibits for visitors to enjoy. Many of these will be hands-on and designed to inspire any imagi nation. Exhibits are a central focus of the restoration process. We want visitors to remember an authentic experience when they travel back to the days of young Sam Clemens here at the museum properties.
Currently on the first floor, exhibits include interactive scenes from several of Twain's most famous books. On the mezzanine are exhibits that relate to Twain's steamboat pilot career and Twain-related items of popular culture. The second floor includes such unique artifacts as Twain's Oxford gown, the jewelry box he had hand-carved for his wife in Italy, and 15 original Norman Rockwell paintings from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The master plan calls for an integrated storyline that will link all three levels in a consistent design style and exhibit voice. Visitor orientation will be facilitated by new introductory and thematic elements, and by an exhibit sequence that is roughly chronological through the first floor and mezzanine. The second floor exhibits will be organized around themes relating to Twain as writer and celebrity.
Click here to Make a Contribution Online
Education Programs:
The museum offers a variety of educational programs related to the life and work of Mark Twain for learners of all ages. These include week-long workshops for teachers each summer and the Mark Twain Young Authors Workshop. Your gift will help the museum to continue to offer engaging and enlightening activities at the museum and to support mobile programs delivered to schools and organizations.
Click here to Make a Contribution Online
Technology Support:
The museum is using technology in new and exciting ways. Presently we are working to catalog our extensive collection for online viewing for visitors who cannot travel to Hannibal. We want to expand our virtual tours and explore other uses of technology in preserving the legacy of Mark Twain.
Click here to Make a Contribution Online
Acquisitions:
If you would like to donate an artifact that belonged to the Clemens family or has other related historical value, please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . We also welcome monetary contributions to help us expand our collection of Twain-related artifacts.
Click here to Make a Contribution Online
General Gifts:
The museum is grateful for unrestricted gifts to support its mission to promote awareness and appreciation of the life and works of Mark Twain and to demonstrate the relevance of his stories and ideas to citizens of the world.
If you do not wish to use the online giving form, send your check to the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum, 120 North Main Street, Hannibal, MO 63401. The Museum also accepts gifts via Visa or MasterCard. Please send your card number, expiration date, amount you wish to give, and name as it appears on the card.
Click here to Make a Contribution Online
Online Shopping Support
If you are an online shopper you can also support the museum by starting your shopping at GoodSearch.com. Simply select the museum as the not-for-profit that you wish to benefit from your shopping, and then continue with your online purchases. A small percentage of each sale will be donated back to the museum at no cost to you. You can also support the museum by shopping for Mark Twain merchandise at our online store. We carry a wide selection of Mark Twain gifts and Mark Twain T-shirts and exclusively offer the Heritage Press editions of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, illustrated by Norman Rockwell. Your purchases are deeply appreciated. You can also find your favorite quotes on Mark Twain merchandise and gift items.
Another way to support the museum is by applying for a Mark Twain Museum VISA card. This card has no annual fee, and a percentage of your purchases will be donated to the museum at no cost to you. Thank you for your support.
If you have any questions about charitable gifts, please call the Museum at (573) 221-9010 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Planned Giving
Planned Giving Opportunities
Leave a legacy to support the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum through charitable gifts and estate planning.
Planned giving is a method of giving assets which can be integrated into a person's total financial plan. Friends of the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum may choose planned giving as a way to extend their support beyond their lifetimes, while benefiting themselves in the present
The Museum is grateful for all types of gifts. We welcome the opportunity to work with you and your financial advisers to determine if one or more planned giving arrangements are appropriate for you. Recognizing the highly private nature of such planning, all inquiries and communications are held in strictest confidence and are without obligation.
Planned Giving Programs
- Gifts of Securities
- Gifts by Will/Revocable Trust
- Charitable Gift Annuities
- Charitable Remainder Trusts
- Gifts of Life Insurance
- Retained Life Estates
- Charitable Lead Trusts
- Gifts of Qualified Retirement Plans
Please call Dr. Cindy Lovell at (573) 221-9010 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to inquire about the possibility of making a planned gift to the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum.
If you have already included the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum in your estate plan, please let us know so we can thank you and welcome you into our St. Petersburg Society.
Tributes or Memorials
The Museum's Tribute and Memorial program is a wonderful way to honor a friend or family member anytime of year. For each contribution a letter of acknowledgment is sent, without mention of the gift amount, to the person or family being honored.
For a special gift, donors may choose to select a memorial or tribute to be named for the individual or family honored. Naming opportunities include bricks inlaid in the walkways on the Museum's properties, trees, benches, and other possibilities. Named and memorial endowments provide a lasting tribute to someone of importance to you.
A tribute or memorial is a perfect to mark a transition or celebration, such as a birthday, anniversary, graduation day, Mother's or Father's Day, or as an expression of sympathy.
If you have questions regarding the Tribute and Memorial program, please call (573) 221-9010 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Click here to give a Tribute or Memorial.
Will You Please Make a Contribution?
Your gift to the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum will have a significant impact on the programs, projects, and facilities which help keep alive the spirit of Mark Twain. We invite you to become a member of a generous community with the commitment and foresight to share and teach others about the wit and wisdom of Mark Twain and his works. Your contribution helps provide a secure future for the Museum and enlightenment for generations of visitors from around the world who come to the Museum to learn about this extraordinary writer and the town that inspired him.
There are a number of projects that you may support at the Museum. The Museum is working to realize its master plan, including restoration of three properties, new and updated exhibits to enhance visitors' experience, education programs to encourage the reading of Twain's works and to teach people about subjects related to Twain and his stories, and utilizing technology to make our properties and collections available to people everywhere.
How to Give
The Museum accepts gifts of cash, check, credit card, or securities. You also wish to integrate a planned gift into your overall estate plan. Will you please join us in preserving the legacy of Mark Twain?
If you have any questions about charitable gifts, please call the Museum at
(573) 221-9010 or
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
Click here to Make a Contribution Online
