109. HANNIBAL

Hannibal, Missouri

7/17/2012

Hannibal is the childhood home of Mark Twain – America’s most celebrated author. In preparation for this trip I read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – both of which I had neglected to read before, even though I was supposed to read the latter in high school. (I’m ready for that test now, Mrs. Whitaker.)

The Mark Twain Museum and the Boyhood Home are two separate facilities, but the tickets are good for admission to both. The Museum is very kid-friendly, with many episodes from Twain’s books recreated in play areas. The boys had a field day. Their favorite was blowing the steam boat whistle. Philip may have found his calling as a riverboat captain.

I, of course, had to get a picture with one of those white suits.

After the museum we walked to the Boyhood Home, which is actually a series of buildings. Twain based the characters and incidents in Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn on people and events from his childhood, so the buildings are labeled as the homes of “the real Huck Finn” and “the real Becky Thatcher” and so on. As a newly minted Twain fan (Huckleberry Finn is the Great American Novel, I declare!) I really enjoyed seeing how Twain used his childhood memories in his books. I noticed that from Twain’s bedroom (He is Tom Sawyer) he could look directly over to “Becky Thatcher’s” house every day.

Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn seem so real to me and to millions of others, there is a thrill in going here that’s hard to explain. These fantastic characters – in exaggerating form, of course – WERE real. How could I resist taking a picture of my own Tom and Huck by that whitewashed fence outside?

Despite the oppressive heat I somehow managed to convince everyone to walk down the waterfront after we left the museums. By a great stroke of timing we arrived when the steam boat “Mark Twain” (of course it’s called the Mark Twain) was setting out. The boys forgot the heat and were hypnotized by its progress. They didn’t want to leave until it fell out of sight.

When we finally left to walk back to the car we had to walk over some railroad tracks. Trains are the boys’ most persistent obsession, and as we crossed a train came by. They’ve never been that close to a real one before. More excitement for the boys. Meanwhile, the girls were melting. Time to leave.

As we pulled away, Laura and I agreed that the town reminded us a lot of Marietta – which makes sense, since they are both river towns. Hannibal seems to defy the principle I mentioned earlier – the rundown town with the famous citizen. Hannibal’s Mark Twain stuff is great, but strolling on the riverfront and down the quaint streets was fun too. We could have spent more time doing that if it hadn’t been so hot. Mark Twain is no doubt what brings people here, but there’s clearly much more to see and do. Highly recommended.