Mark Twain House
The Mark Twain House and Museum was the home of Samuel Langhorne Clemens (a.k.a. Mark Twain) from 1874 to 1891 in Hartford, Connecticut, USA. Before 1874, Clemens lived in many places, most notably Hannibal, Missouri, where he spent his childhood, which he immortalized in his writing. The architectural style of the 19-room house is Victorian Gothic. The house is also notable for the major works written during his residency, including The Gilded Age, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Prince and the Pauper, Life on the Mississippi, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, A Tramp Abroad, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.
Poor financial investments caused the Clemens family to move to Europe in 1891.[3] The Panic of 1893 further threatened their financial stability, and during 1895-1896, Clemens, his wife, Olivia, and their middle daughter, Clara, spent a year traveling so Clemens could lecture and earn the money to pay off their debts. The trip was recounted in Following the Equator, published in 1897. Before they could be reunited with their other two daughters, Susy and Jean, who had stayed behind, Susy died in the home on August 18, 1896 of spinal meningitis. The family could not bring themselves to reside in the home after this tragedy and spent most of their remaining years living abroad. They sold the home in 1903.
The home in Hartford later functioned as a school, an apartment building, and a library. In 1962 the building was declared a National Historic Landmark.[2][4] Since 1974 it has had a multi-million dollar renovation and an expansion dedicated to showcasing his life and work. The house faced financial troubles in 2008 due to construction over-runs with their new museum center. Since that time, the museum has rebounded to record-setting attendance and numbers of programs.[5]
