On July 15th we arrived in Hannibal, Missouri – the boyhood home of Mark Twain.  The town has done a wonderful job preserving and restoring the neighborhood where he lived.

We toured his home, the home of his friend who would inspire the character “Huck Finn,” and the home of his first love, the woman who would come to be known as “Becky Thatcher.”

Along the Mighty Mississippi we watched as a steamboat tour passed, then we ventured up to “Lovers Leap” with its great views of the city.

Some interesting facts about Mark Twain:

• He became a licensed river pilot in 1858, and his pseudonym, Mark Twain, is a river term which means two fathoms or 12-feet when the depth of water for a boat is being checked. “Mark twain” means that is safe to navigate.

• He lived for a time in Buffalo, New York.

• He worked as a correspondent for the Sacramento Union newspaper.

• Hannibal, Mo. served as the inspiration for the fictional town of St. Petersberg in “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.”

• He invented the “self pasting” scrapbook and holds a patent for it.

• Norman Rockwell illustrated two of Mark Twain’s books in the 1930’s and 40’s – sixty years after their initial publication. Rockwell did initial concept art, then traveled to Hannibal, Missouri to learn more about Twain. He changed some of his illustrations after seeing some of the buildings and landmarks which served as Twain’s inspiration.