About 150 years ago, legendary American author, Samuel Clemens — better known as Mark Twain — was one of the biggest stars in the world.
The author of such works as “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” and “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” traveled the world for lucrative speaking engagements throughout his life. To this day in Sydney, Australia, a brass plaque on the shore of Sydney Harbour commemorates Twain’s visit there in the 1890s.
“If he were a singer instead of a writer, it would be Taylor Swift. He was the Taylor Swift of his day,” explained Michael Campbell, interim executive director of the Mark Twain House and Museum.
Celebrating with a party
Twain famously settled and built a house in Hartford. Today, that house remains a testament to Twain’s enduring legacy, now serving as the Mark Twain House and Museum.
To celebrate the house’s 150th anniversary, the museum hosted a celebration in September.
“We had a big party, and it was a huge success,” Campbell said.
Looking ahead, the museum is planning a new exhibit that will take visitors beyond the house and into the city that Twain loved.
“We’re setting up an exhibit in Hartford outlining the many places that Mark Twain frequented,” Campbell said. “We’re expanding the Mark Twain house and taking over the whole place.”
With a mobile app in development, visitors will soon be able to explore Hartford through Twain’s eyes, making the author’s presence felt throughout the city.
Twain's Hartford connection
But how did Mark Twain, a man who traveled extensively throughout his life, choose to settle in Hartford?
Campbell pointed out that Twain’s publisher was based in the city and that played a major role. Twain also fell in love with the city’s charm.
“He described Hartford as the most beautiful city he had ever seen, and this guy really traveled a lot,” Campbell noted.
Twain wasn’t alone in his admiration for Hartford. He moved to the historic Nook Farm neighborhood, home to other luminaries like author Harriet Beecher Stowe and actor William Gillette. It was in this vibrant cultural community that Twain would pen some of his greatest works, including “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” and “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.”
A house that sparked curiosity
The Twain family’s house, built in the mid-1870s, became an architectural marvel in Hartford, drawing attention even while it was under construction.
“People all around Hartford and the surrounding communities came to the Mark Twain house even while it was being built, just to get an idea as to what Mark Twain was doing in their town,” Campbell recalled.
Today, Campbell said visitors from all 50 states and over 60 countries make the pilgrimage to see this whimsical, multifaceted home.
Twain’s timeless appeal
Campbell said interest in the Mark Twain House and Museum endures because of Twain’s timeless appeal.
“He’s contemporary in whatever time he is in,” Campbell said. “Back in the Gilded Age when this house was built, [and] all through the last century-and-a half, the things that he said, the things that he wrote, all really mattered, and people refer to him all the time now, too.”
