Hannibal is little changed from when Judge Clemens was forced to move there after losing his home in Kentucky. While it was a wonderful place to inspire young Samuel, it is still a sad little place. The homes of Young Sam Clemens’, Laura Hawkins (Becky Thatcher), and Tom Blankenship’s (Huck Finn) are empty or have period furniture collected from other places and little to no label copy to tell about the homes.
Mark Twain's Home
Becky Thatcher's Home
Judge Clemments Law Office
Judge Clemens’ office is better presented and has an exhibit of young Samuel finding a dead body in his father’s office.
The museum has a good display of Norman Rockwell illustrations for Twain’s books and information about Twain’s life, reaction to his work, and the censorship of his books. Reading the many quotes from his novels, articles and autobiography is enjoyable and enlightening.
What was best about our trip to Hannibal was the story telling performance of “Aunt Rachel,” by Gladys Coggswell, a Master Storyteller. This is based upon a story told to the adult Clemens by a former slave. Coggswell’s presentation was poignant.
As the only members of her audience, we were treated to a story she learned from her grandmother that told of an eagle who became a beautiful woman. This is a cautionary tale of waiting to find your special talent.
A Mark Twain interpreter held a question and answer session, telling Clemens stories by answering our questions. He was also quite good.
We did have a nice fried shrimp salad at Lulu Belle’s, a bordello until the 1950s.
Looking back on the day, we would recommend visiting Twain’s home in Hartford or the one in Elmira, NY and leaving images of Hannibal to his stories.
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