Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum Online Tour

Take an online tour of our historic properties and museums located in the heart of Hannibal, MO. 

1

Interpretive Center

Interpretive Center

Interpretive Center

415 North Main St  |  Hannibal, MO 63401

Begin your museum tour in the Interpretive Center. Follow young Sam Clemens on his rambles through Hannibal. Meet his family and friends and get to know the town during the time young Sam lived there. Then see which of the town’s people, places, and events he later transformed into stories.

History of Interpretive Center

2

Mark Twain Museum Gallery

Mark Twain Museum Gallery

Mark Twain Museum & Gallery

120 North Main Street  |  Hannibal, MO 63401

This building dates back to the 1850s and was formerly Sonnenberg’s Department Store through 1959. It was acquired by the Mark Twain Home Foundation and has been in use since 1995. Enjoy interactive exhibits inspired by some of Twain's most famous books. Take a turn at the steamboat wheel in the pilot house. See beautiful original art by Norman Rockwell, Dan Beard, and more! If you're lucky, you might even see the famous author himself roaming the halls.

History of the Museum Gallery

3

Mark Twain Boyhood Home

Mark Twain Boyhood Home, Hannibal, MO

Mark Twain's Boyhood Home & Garden

208 Hill Street  |  Hannibal, MO 63401

This small frame house was the home of John Marshall Clemens and his family from 1844 to 1853. Sam grew up here and used many incidents from his real life as patterns for Tom Sawyer and other characters.

The home was opened to the public in 1912 and has been open continually since, making it one of the earliest historic house preservations in the country.

History of Mark Twain Boyhood Home

4

Boyhood Home Gift Shop

Museum Store

Boyhood Home Gift Shop

206 Hill Street  |  Hannibal, MO 63401

This building was built in the 1940's as a WPA project. It was originally built as a museum to accompany the Boyhood Home. When the Interpretive Center opened, exhibits were moved there and a Gift Shop moved in.

This is usually the first Gift Shop people stop at on their tour. With its large collection of Twain books, t-shirts, mugs, magnets, and more, you're sure to find the perfect souvenir of your trip to Hannibal.

History of Boyhood Home Gift Shop

5

Huck Finn House

Huck Finn

Huckleberry Finn House

215 Hill Street  |  Hannibal, MO 63401

This is the only one of the historic properties on the museum tour that is not an original structure. The building identified as the home of Tom Blankenship, inspiration for Huckleberry Finn, was demolished in 1911. The house was rebuilt using supplies salvaged from another period structure. The design was drafted based on pictures of the original structure in the museum collections.

History of Huck Finn House

 

6

Becky Thatcher House

Becky Thatcher Home

Becky Thatcher House

211 Hill Street  |  Hannibal, MO 63401

The home of the Elijah Hawkins family. Laura Hawkins was three years younger than Sam Clemens and was immortalized in Tom Sawyer as Becky Thatcher. Childhood friends, they stayed in touch through their lives. Mark Twain saw Laura on his last visit to Hannibal in 1902.

Laura Hawkins married Dr. James Frazer and moved to the Renssalear, MO area, west of Hannibal. After Dr. Frazer’s death, she moved back into town and became the matron for the Home for the Friendless orphanage in Hannibal. 

Exhibits in the house focus on what childhood was like in Hannibal during Sam & Laura's younger years. Using the fictional characters of Tom, Huck, Becky, and Jim you can explore what work, play, and school would have been like for different kids.

History of Becky Thatcher House

7

Judge Clemens Justice of the Peace Officer

JM Clemens Justice of the Peace Building, Hannibal, MO

Judge Clemens Justice of the Peace Office

205 Hill Street  |  Hannibal, MO 63401

John Clemens began to practice law while the family lived in Florida, Missouri. After moving to Hannibal, he used this building as his justice of the peace office. It is the only building on the tour that's not in its original location. It was originally located on Bird Street closer to the river.

History of Justice of Peace Office

8

Grant's Drug Store

Grant's Drug Store, Hannibal, MO

Grant's Drugstore

325 North Main Street  |  Hannibal, MO 63401

This structure is said to have been prefabricated in Cincinnati, Ohio, and shipped by steamboat. It arrived in Hannibal 1836 and was erected by James Brady, later the first mayor of Hannibal. It was once the home of the Grant and Clemens Families. Now houses exhibits on the family and medicine of the time.

History of Grant's Drug Store

9

Tom & Huck Statue

Tom & Huck Statue

Tom & Huck Statue

North Main Street  |  Hannibal, MO 63401

A statue of Tom and Huck greets visitors as they being their ascent of Cardiff Hill.

History of the Tom & Huck Statue

“What is the most rigorous law of our being? Growth."

- Mark Twain's Speeches

  • 1 Intrepretive Center
  • 2 Mark Twain Museum & Gallery
  • 3 Mark Twain's Boyhood Home & Garden
  • 4 Boyhood Home Gift Shop
  • 5 Huckleberry Finn House
  • 6 Becky Thatcher House
  • 7 Judge Clemens Justice of the Peace Office
  • 8 Grant's Drugstore
  • 9 Tom & Huck Statue