Trifter

In a once well-to-do section of Hartford, Conn., which today seems out of place in this declining city, the Mark Twain House and Museum evokes memories of the literary genius who once lived there.

The building on 351 Farmington Avenue was considered by locals to be the “oddest house in the country” when Mark Twain (otherwise known as Samuel Langhorne Clemens) moved in with his wife, Olivia, and three of their children (the fourth died before the Clemens family moved to Hartford). And to many it might seem so, with its asymmetrical gables, and towers and chimneys that spontaneously rise from the roof.   

Photo by author

Taking a tour of this 19-room Victorian mansion in what was once known as Nook Farm, part of Hartford’s Asylum Hill neighborhood, is truly a lovely experience, especially if you’re a Mark Twain fan. One can easily imagine the mustacheod Twain sitting in the billiards room on the third floor of the house, working on such classics as “The Gilded Age,” The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” “The Prince and the Pauper,” and “Huckleberry Finn,” among others.

The room, which contains a pool table and an area that was used as his private study, was strictly off-limits to the rest of the Clemens’ family, except for the cleaning staff. In this area, Clemens frequently entertained guests by playing billiards with them and sharing his cigars and liquor.

Twain’s curiosity about the world can be seen in the many rooms he decorated, each one taking on a different theme, and representative of places he had previously visited. Various patterns, textures and colors were used throughout the first floor of the house to represent areas such as northern Africa, the Far East and India.

Twain was not afraid to use the new technologies of the day, either. Heat was available throughout the house (fueled by a gravity flow heat system) to allow for windows over two fireplaces and seven bathrooms with flush toilets.

Depending on the tour guide, you’ll most likely hear many stories from Twain’s time in this house, including his affection for a servant named George, an emancipated slave from Virginia, who spent a great deal of time with the Clemens daughters. There were approximately 12 servants living in the Clemens home, including staff of Irish, German and Italian descent.

Apart from the guided tours, visitors can also tour the nearby museum that houses artifacts from Twain’s life. The Aetna Gallery’s “I Have Sampled This Life” exhibit contains several interactive exhibits and display cases, as well as the Paige Compositor that Twain purchased. One display case contains the letter that Twain wrote to then Yale University Law School Dean Francis Wayland, asking that the university accept the application of Warner T. McGunn, who later became the first African-American to be admitted to Yale University Law School. Twain’s spectacles are also on show, as are notes, scribbles and other memory joggers that he relied upon when writing his classics.

To find out more, visit:

Mark Twain House or call 860-247-0998.