Mark Twain's
House
351
Farmington Ave.
Hartford,
Connecticut
October 3, 2001
Quite often 
as
we travel we find ourselves writing about famous individuals in
several locations. Such was the case with the life of Mark Twain.
Born, Samuel Clemens, he lived in Hannibal, Missouri, as a young
boy. As we passed through Hannibal we took the opportunity to
write a story about Mark Twain's
boyhood home. Naturally when we found
ourselves in Hartford, Connecticut, we couldn't resist following
up on Mark Twain's adult life there. Mark Twain's life was much
like many famous people you read about. He had a great many
financial ups and downs. The house he had built in Hartford is
absolutely gorgeous. It is a 19 room, Tiffany decorated mansion
where he lived from 1874 to 1891. During Mr. Twain's productive
period he created some of his best-loved works, including The
Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
In 1873 Mark Twain, purchased land at, what was then, the western
edge of the City of Hartford. He engaged the New York architect,
Edward Tuckerman Potter, to design the house. Mrs. Clemens had
sketched a layout showing the relationship of the various rooms
to views over the then open countryside. The house was completed in 1874, and
the Clemens family moved in during September of that year. The
cost of the house apparently exceeded their
budget, and several
of the rooms remained unfinished with regard to wallpaper and
other decorations. In 1881, following the success of "The
Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and several lecture tours, the
kitchen wing was enlarged, and the major rooms completely
redecorated by "Associated Artists", a distinguished
firm of interior designers, which included Louis Comfort Tiffany.
As you approach the house you can't help but notice the use of
different colors on the brick giving the house a very unique
styling. In addition to the brickwork the house has very
elaborate woodwork which was called the "Stick Style"
of the 1870s. The architect provided for living plants both
within and outside the house.
According to John
Boyer, executive director of the Mark Twain House, there is a
common misconception that the house was modeled after a
Mississippi River 
steamboat to reflect Samuel Clemens' career as
a riverboat pilot. "There is no historic evidence that Twain
or his architect sought to create that appearance," said
Boyer. "The high balconies around the home's third floor
might resemble the pilot house of a riverboat, but, in fact, they
were installed to take advantage of the sweeping vistas that
could be enjoyed from the property."
The entrance hall was originally neo-Tudor in style, giving it a
completely different character by the decorators in 1881. The
paneling was stenciled in silver, the walls and ceiling painted
red, and patterned in dark blue. These patterns resemble American
Indian textiles, and probably were designed by Tiffany. The
fireplace was enriched by carved wood panels from de Forest's
workshops in Ahmedabed, India, and, at Mark Twain's suggestion,
by red-painted marble covered with pierced brass panels from the
same workshop.
Interestingly enough Mark Twain took a very active interest in,
not only the construction of the house but in the decorating as
well. One very beautiful piece of furniture that is in the dining
room was one that Mark Twain saw on a trip and had it fitted for
an alcove in the room.
One piece of original furniture, I found interesting, was the bed
that Sam Clemens slept in. If you will notice he switched the bed
around so that he was actually facing the headboard. He told
people that it was so fancy
he wanted to look at it, rather than the footboard.
Olivia and Sam Clemens brought up three daughters in the house;
Susy, born in 1872, Clara, born in 1874, and Jean, born in 1880.
A son, Langdon, was born in 1870, and died in 1872. The girls
were educated in the home's second-floor schoolroom, which was
originally Twain's study. His daughters' interruptions eventually
forced the author to abandon the schoolroom and move his work to
the billiard room upstairs. In his third-floor sanctuary, Twain
would organize his manuscripts by spreading the pages out on the
billiard table. He would then present the new work to Olivia for
editing.
Twain's success as a writer continued through the 1800s with the
publication of The Prince and the Pauper(1881), Life on the
Mississippi (1883), Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885) and A
Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889). Nevertheless,
as the decade drew to a close, the author faced financial ruin.
Poor personal investments coupled with a succession of bank
panics dealt the Clemenses serious financial blows. In 1891, the
family left Hartford for Europe, where the cost of living was
lower. In 1896, while Twain and the rest of the family were in
England, eldest 
daughter
Susy returned to Hartford for a visit. During her stay, she
contracted meningitis and died in the family home. After Susy's
death, the family never occupied the house again. Twain sold the
property in 1903.
The house was eventually turned into a boys' school, and, later,
an apartment building. Fortunately, in 1919, a group of local citizens recognized the home's historic importance and developed
plans to preserve it. However, it would not be until ten years
later, that the state-chartered Mark Twain Memorial and Library
Commission would purchase the property. To help meet expenses,
the Memorial leased the first floor to the Mark Twain Branch of
the Hartford Public Library. Twain artifacts and memorabilia were
displayed in one room of the library, while apartments continued
to be rented on the upper floors, in the servants' wing and
carriage house.
In 1955, the mortgage was paid off and the board of trustees
began the daunting task of restoring the house. Their goal was to
complete the project in time for the home's 100th anniversary in
1974. The effort stimulated donations of important Clemens
memorabilia, objects of decorative art and archival materials. The museum's
collections now co
ntain approximately 50,000 artifacts, including
Twain's original manuscripts and first editions, historic
photographs, family furnishings and Tiffany glass.
Our trip through this grand and glorious house was memorable
indeed, made even more so by the wealth of information we
received from Mr. David Bush, director of Public
Relations/Marketing. He certainly knew his Mark Twain history and
was able to pass much of it along to us. It is fascinating to be
able to get a glimpse into a world long since past. And to learn
more about such a wonderful author as Mark Twain.
This house is definitely on a "must see list" if you
get to Hartford, Connecticut. If you'd like more information
about their hours or directions, check out their website at: http://www.MarkTwainHouse.org.
Good Luck! Have Fun! and Stay Safe!
Laura