Hannibal in Marion County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Mark Twain
Remembrance of An American Past
Photographed by Beverly Pfingsten, June 11, 2012
1. Mark Twain Marker
Like all of us, Mark Twain told stories about his childhood in order to understand who he had become as an adult.
As a writer, Mark Twain started with the raw material of his own experiences to make stories that still amuse and challenge us today.
Some of the stories we tell about our own childhoods have special meaning; they help us explain why we've turned out to be the people we are. When Twain created stories based on his past, he did more than explain himself. He explained something about all of us, something true about human beings.
As you walk through the rooms of the Boyhood Home and think about the stories Twain told, what stories do you remember from your own childhood home?
Mark Twain returned to Hannibal five times as an adult. In later years, his visits filled him with nostalgia.
"Alast everything has changed in Hannibal---but when I reached Third or Fourth street the tears burst forth, for I recognized the mud. It at least was the same---the same old mud."
Notebook, April 1882
4 "In the afternoon the church was crowded....When I stepped forward the entire house rose; and they applauded so heartily and kept it up so long, that when they finished I had to stand silent a long minute till I could speak without my voice breaking."
Letterto Livy, May 1902
Click or scan to see
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Arts, Letters, Music. A significant historical year for this entry is 1882.
Location. 39° 42.727′ N, 91° 21.47′ W. Marker is in Hannibal, Missouri, in Marion County. It is on North Main Street north of Hill Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 206 Hill St, Hannibal MO 63401, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Missouri’s Mark Twain Country. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Lewis & Clark Corridor, in the Corn Belt, and in the Great River Road Region. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Louisiana Purchase, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Tom Sawyers Fence (a few steps from this marker); Mark Twain's Boyhood Home (a few steps from this marker); The Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum (a few steps from this marker); a different marker also named Mark Twain (within shouting distance of this marker); Becky Thatcher's Home (within shouting distance of this marker); Mark Twain's Father's Law Office (within shouting distance of this marker); Grant's Drug Store (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Grant's Drug Store (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hannibal.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 22, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 27, 2012, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. This page has been viewed 641 times since then and 17 times this year. Last updated on October 18, 2025, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. Photo 1. submitted on August 27, 2012, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. A wide shot of the marker in context. • Can you help?
