Mark Twain House and Museum

Although we tend to think of Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) as a Southerner, the Mark Twain House and Museum is in Hartford, Connecticut, a place Twain described as one of the most beautiful towns in the country.

Fun Facts

• Mark Twain and his family lived in the home from 1874 to 1891. His biographer Justin Kaplan described the home as “part steamboat, part medieval fortress, and part cuckoo clock.” It was large, meandering, and angular.

  

• On the third floor was a smoking lounge where Twain entertained male friends. His writing office was on this floor too. He said he needed a place where he could swear without getting into trouble.
• The second floor included a nursery and schoolroom for the children. Mrs. Clemens taught them herself. Mark Twain often played here with the children, pretending to be an elephant.

  

• In 1891, the family closed up the house and moved to Europe. They were facing financial problems and Mark Twain lectured throughout Europe to earn money.
• While they were in Europe, their daughter (who had stayed behind) died of a serious illness. The family never wanted to live in the home again and sold it in 1903.
• Over the years, the house became a school, an apartment building, and even a public library. In 1962 it was declared a National Historic Monument and in 1974, it became a museum.

  

• Mark Twain wrote many of his most famous works here including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court.

  
  

Vocabulary

1. Meandering: without direct purpose
2. Medieval: during the Medieval Age and the time of knights and castles

Questions and Answers

Question: Where are other literary landmarks in the United States?

Answer: The Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site is in Philadelphia. Two museums honor the poet Robert Frost, one in Franconia, New Hampshire, and one in Shaftsbury, Vermont.

Learn More

Visit the website for the Mark Twain museum.