What Happened to Mark Twain's House?

He was known as the “Greatest Humorist the United States Has Produced,” But how did he live? Today we are exploring the home of Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain.
Location: Hartford, Connecticut.
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Photos from: Library of Congress
Public Domain Photos from: Library of Congress
CC2.0 Photos from: bootbearwdc, dwhartwig, Joey Hoey, Mike Shell
CC3.0 Photos from: Kenneth C Zirkle, DTParker1000
Music from: Epidemic Sound
Video from: Envato

[@wandabissell]

My father-in-law's parents bought the house from the Clemens, f-i-l was born in the billiards room! It was sold to a private school, Kingswood-Oxford, and later was sold again before the restoration. We have a pic of him, mother, siblings in the conservatory. If you like the stately CT houses, Hill-stead Museum in Farmington is a must see. It was the home of the architect Theodate Pope Riddle, and is amazing.

[@vonrock6862]

How awesome. I watched the Ken Burns documentary years ago, did the pipe (intercom) still work.

[@janicelee9923]

Who was born in the billiards room? I was a tour guide in the 1970s. I realize now that The eclectic style of the house deeply affected me when I was I finally furnished a place of my own in NYC. I was sorry that the video did not really. mention his other two daughters, one of whom I believe died at 16. It tore her father’s heart out. He never recovered. I learned a lot about Clemens from this video . It is astonishing that he was totally self educated,; that and his adventures also supported a way for his genius to express itself in the literature he created. I’m happy that the writer of the video referred to him as America’s greatest humorist. That he is still adored by many. Thank for making this charming and informative video , sincerely Janice Lee

[@JameGoFast]

What’s a ct house

[@nunyabiznes4471]

@@JameGoFast Connecticut, the state. There are a lot of beautiful houses in CT. Unfortunately, Mark Twain’s Hartford house is right next to a slum. Hartford was a beautiful city at the turn of the century. It’s a complete cesspool of filth, breaks my heart. Some of the old architecture is stunning.

[@PK-bh1ww]

@@janicelee9923 none died at age 16. Suzy 1872-1896 age 24 died from meningitis. Clara 1874-1962. age 88 old age. Jean 1880-1909 age 29 Epilepsy.

[@rsykesjr]

I’m so glad to know the home is still standing and well preserved.

[@Taledanoneya]

@R Voit wtf 😒. That's crazy smh

[@cybernoid001]

to be honest, this video confused me since I live close to Virginia City in NV and we have no idea where his house there used to be as it has been lost. Then I realized this was for a different house of his.

[@rsykesjr]

@rvoit Thanks for letting us know, but so sad to hear that. I wonder if there is someone that could be contacted regarding taking better care against the vandalism you spoke of.

[@rsykesjr]

@rvoit Man…. that is such a shame.

[@woodrowcall3269]

@R Voit Hartford is a ghetto now. If it wasn’t for Aetna being there that area would be a total 💩 hole. Remember, SIMPLE MINDS DO SIMPLE THINGS.

[@howiewilliams7378]

When I toured the home seceral years ago the guide told a story about Mark Twain's butler. When someone came to the door that Twain didn't want to see he would tell the butler to tell the person Twain wasn't home. The problem was the butler would not lie and go ahead and let them in. They later found a solution. When Twain someone come to the door he did want to see he would step out onto the balcony and then the butler could truthfully tell the person Mr. Twain just stepped out.

[@septembersurprise5178]

"I am different from Washington; I have a higher, grander standard of principle. Washington could not lie. I can lie, but I won't." - Mark Twain

[@timmccrory7630]

I live right next door

[@cynthiablake6208]

Oh? In the Stowe house?

[@dosesandmimoses]

There are three types of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics! -Twain

[@michaelangelo7511]

In all probability this is true knowing the personality of Twain.

[@rebeccablakey2637]

This is an extremely beautiful home. Sounds like the home was decorated with such love and care. Mark Twain and his family was very lucky to have been able to to live this amazing home. I am so glad that the home is now a museum.

[@David-yx2dk]

Unfortunately, Twain and his family only lived there a short time. Despite being a popular author,Twain was not a wise investor. Between that and the lavish expense of building this luxurious house,Twain was forced to go on tour to pay expenses. He ended up selling the house shortly afterwards.

[@Taledanoneya]

@@David-yx2dk wow

[@septembersurprise5178]

@@David-yx2dk "OCTOBER: This is one of the peculiarly dangerous months to speculate in stocks in. The others are July, January, September, April, November, May, March, June, December, August, and February." - Mark Twain

[@rhiannonrede]

I was so mad about Twain as a child, I had my parents take us to Hannibal to see his boyhood home. It was wonderful & one of my childhood delights.

[@finnmcginn9931]

At first I was wondering why you were angry with Mark Twain as a child but then my wife reminded me that I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed. Have a great day.

[@wyntersynergyundignified]

A family trip to Hannibal is one of my favorite memories!

[@yukino4636]

I was born and raised there, it's a shame how it's just rotting basically, only caring about the very small mark twain tourism and the cave, the city has lost so much

[@honestmom1958]

I always learn so much from your videos, Ken. But this one had a ton of information not only on the house but on Mark Twain and his family. I'm so happy the house has been restored!

[@trevorjameson3213]

Yes but it's only a tiny fraction of information that is available about him and his family, and the house. Maybe you can find the 6 hour documentary online somewhere about his life. It was aired on PBS many years ago and it was fantastic history.

[@GodsFavoriteBassPlyr]

Just this past July, I was able to tour the Mark Twain house.. .Absolutely Stunning. Thanks so much for showcasing this one. The entire complex, along with a great gift shop, is definitely worth the trip!

[@MissBEson]

I've been to the Mark Twain House multiple time. If you are ever visiting CT you should put this place on your list to visit. It is a beautiful home and they do a wonderful job with preserving the home.

[@LJB103]

There were two things I liked in the house: in the Twain bedroom is the "extension cord," the hose from the gasolier ceiling light to provide gas to the desk lamp. The other is the story about the billiards table. It was a gift from Twain's admirer Henry H. Rogers (Standard Oil fortune and owner of a large mansion in Fairhaven, MA - have never seen interior photos), and a friend said that Twain shouldn't accept it as Rogers' money was tainted. Twain's reply was that the money was twice tainted: Taint yours and taint mine! Go out the front door and walk across the lawn to Harriet Beecher Stowe's house (also a museum); they are both part of Nook Farm. There is one more extant Tiffany home (the Ayer house - where Beatrice Ayer was proposed to by future general George Patton) in Boston - well worth a video. Excellent video.

[@pinkvolo]

Thank you for the historical information!

[@jamesslick4790]

"Taint yours and taint mine!" Sounds EXACTLY like something he'd say!

[@gbear2253]

How did the daughter die? Does anyone know?

[@aaronwatkins8973]

I thought HBS house was in Ohio?

[@lisareed5669]

She had dementia and would wander through his house ...

[@Bill_Russell_aka_Coolbreeze]

I've been through that house many times. It's spectactular and I see something new every time I visit that I didn't see before and learn new stories of Clemons time there as well. One of my favorite parts is actually the little phone booth discretely tucked away. It had an old fashioned phone and if you picked it up you could hear Mark Twain's voice say, "I'd like to wish a Merry Christmas to all... except the s.o.b. that invented the phone". Mark Twain didn't like the phone much and viewed it as a distraction that would interrupt him and his writing. There's also the story of how Mark Twain, if he had a button come off one of his shirts, he'd often throw it out the upstairs window where it would get stuck in the branches of a tree not far from the window and ultimately a servant would have to climb the tree to retrieve it. Mark Twain (Samuel Clemons) was a very unique character.

[@kimberlyearly8918]

This house is incredible! So many details and I wish I could get an even better look at them. Even the roof looks so unique. All of the hand stenciling and decorative patterns on the outside were amazing. I think this might be my favorite house you've ever shown!

[@badbiker666]

I am so pleased that this wonderful house still exists. One would have to call this a mansion, but it seems so much more homey than most of the houses that were built in the 19th century by very wealthy people. I am inspired by this video to someday pay a visit and explore this house myself.

[@robinbirdj743]

Yes it seems much more “people scale” than most large stately homes of the era.

[@heatherwhittaker6169]

Thank you. Mark Twain has always been one of my favorite authors

[@gbear2253]

How did the daughter die? 🥲

[@randomviking8676]

I would love to have a library just like that one, along with the attached conservatory. I'd never want to leave. : )

[@mariashaffer-gordon3561]

That was my favorite part of the house, too. As Twain said in a letter to his mother in 1853, "If books are not good company, where will I find it?"

[@sprague49]

The Mark Twain house is wonderful example of the Aesthetic Movement in interior design, which flourished in the 1870's, and was the first to incorporate Japanese inspired elements in the woodwork. Thank you, Ken, for featuring this beautiful and unique home.

[@zyourzgrandzmaz]

This house is European architecture not japanese.

[@terpinator24]

@@zyourzgrandzmaz Correct...that is why the commenter used the word "inspired. "

[@finnmcginn9931]

@rvoit another "non profit" where the administration rewards themselves greatly?

[@mariashaffer-gordon3561]

@R Voit I'm sorry you feel this way. My husband and I really enjoyed our tour.

[@anneruby4182]

On a tour of the house I remember hearing that the bed frame in the master bedroom was from Italy and quite expensive. Typically the carving on the headboard was more elaborate than on the footboard. Twain wanted to admire the best part of his investment so they slept with their heads at the foot of the bed. They needed a light by their heads so that’s why there’s an electrical cord dangling from the ceiling at the foot of the bed.

[@mariashaffer-gordon3561]

That was one of the tidbits that stuck in my mind, too.

[@UHFOnline]

On my visit the tour guide said that Twain had purchased the bed frame under the impression that it was a valuable antique. He paid a lot of money for it only to find out later it wasn't an antique at all and that he had overpaid substantially for it. According to the guide, they slept at the foot of the bed so he could gaze ruefully at his bad investment when he woke up each morning. The house is stunning and a must-see for anyone visiting Connecticut. Unfortunately, interior photography is not allowed.

[@samanthab1923]

Visited about 25 years ago. We were in town for a wedding. They told a story on the tour about that carved family shield missing above the fireplace. A person on the tour recognized it in the old photos & said it was in their barn! I went to school in Tarrytown NY. Another of Twains homes was there. Hillcrest Estate now called Tappan Hill. Beautiful stone home with lovely views of the Hudson

[@tomsmith2013]

Great story!

[@kimberlyearly8918]

That's amazing that it was in somebody's barn!!

[@tomsmith2013]

@R Voit Well, doesn't that depend on whether it was "in the barn" before or after they owned the property?

[@daren7889]

I hope the people that owned that barn donated that family shield back to the Mark Twain! It might have been taken many, many years ago! By someone else! 🤔🤔🤔

[@lostinmyspace4910]

Nothing happened to Mark Twain's home in Hartford. It's still there for all to see and visit inside. His nextdoor neighbor was Harriet Beecher Stowe, and her home is also open to the public. I plan to visit both again sometimes in the next 2 years, God willing.

[@mariashaffer-gordon3561]

@R Voit Really? Even the mortgage to a doll's house would be more than the entrance fee to Twain's house.

[@garywait3231]

Writing as a Hartford historian who, over several decades, has often visited and attended functions at this marvelously maintained house-museum, I am delighted to discover it featured in your This House series. The house was one of several homes of Hartford literati, including Harriet Beecher Stowe, Charles Dudley Warner, and Joseph R. Hawley, clustered around Forest Street, and called collectively Nook Farm. Sadly, some of these grand homes are gone; but the somewhat less elegant Stowe House remains and is open for visitation as a house-museum. Perhaps it might be the subject for another episode in your delightfully informative series.

[@kimberlyearly8918]

I'd love to see the Stowe house. Her book Uncle Tom's Cabin is my all-time favorite book!! I've read it multiple times and it gets me every time.

[@garywait3231]

@@kimberlyearly8918 I do hope you get to tour the Stowe House; I'm sure you will enjoy it. Several years ago, I had the privilege and pleasure of conducting a workshop for its tour guides. They are knowledgeable and gracious, and will give you a good tour. I share your love for Uncle Tom's Cabin. I first read it in junior high school, again in high school and college: always deeply moved by it's literaryy power and pathos. At the height of my collecting career, I owned two first edition sets, together with copies of the Key ( incl. one in French), a French 1852 dramatization, the first British periodical publication, etc. As I approached 80, I decided to give the entire collection to the Hartford History Center (Hartford Public Library), where they would be cared for and where anyone interested might enjoy them, as I have over the years. Do come to Hartford and visit the Stowe house. Also: do you know Joan Hedrick's bio of HBS? It's heavy reading, but well worth the effort. Happy holidays!

[@kimberlyearly8918]

@@garywait3231 I've never heard of Joan Hendricks but would love to get a copy of the book. I have a copy that has a handwritten note of a teacher to her student and the date is 1903. It's very fragile. I just ordered the key last night. I've never read it. I think I had heard a long time ago there was one but just forgot about it. I can't wait to get it. I asked my husband if we could please go one day. She lived in two different houses. I'd wanna go to the one where she actually wrote the book first then the other. My husband has absolutely no interest in historical things but he always finds a museum interesting once we get there. Happy holidays!

[@garywait3231]

@@kimberlyearly8918 : I hope you find the Key interesting. It embraces documentation from Southern sources to back up all that she had written about slavery its social and economic impact in UTC. Your desire to visit the house where Mrs. Stowe wrote UTC will take you to Brunswick, Maine. The Stowes were living there while Calvin was teaching at nearby Bowdoin College. She occupied the Hartford house for only the last quarter century of her life. A visit there is poignantly bitter-sweet, as it represents a time of mental decline. Nonetheless it does preserve a flavor for her last years and the home and neighborhood in which she spent them. Best wishes for your HBS pilgrimage.

[@kimberlyearly8918]

@@garywait3231 Thanks for letting me know which home she was in when she wrote. I guess the biography told about her mental decline. I'll have to see about getting a copy. Thanks! God bless!

[@stevekaschak9442]

My Wife and I visited this home several years ago. We have visited many notable homes, Mr. Twain's home is by far my favorite. A guy's house with comforts for the Ladies. The craftsmanship is amazing, well worth the visit.

[@jmcgsd]

Growing up in Hartford in the 50’s I remember this as my local library! I’ve always felt privileged that I had that opportunity.

[@Matityahu755]

I loved the guest bedroom, and the light fitting at the bottom of the staircase. I am so glad this wonderful building has been saved from a wrecking ball. It's absolutely stunning. I loved reading his books as a kid, Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. 🙂

[@daren7889]

Mark Twain was a good friend if General Grant! When the stock market had a big fall , Grant lost a lot of money. Twain encouraged Grant to write his memories of his life! So he did which helped his family survive after Grant completed his books! Grant was dying of throat cancer , he was a heavy cigar smoker ! He completed his book and died leaving his family in a good financial way! 🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🇩🇪🇨🇭🇺🇲💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙

[@susananthony6071]

He also had one of the first phones in CT. In the foyer of the home was a phone booth, basically a wood paneled closet with the phone on the wall, as I recall. This was from a field trip 45 years ago.

[@Clutchdonkey]

I would love to see you do a video on Ernest Hemmingway's house in Key West. My girlfriends mom lives in key west and we went to see it as a tourist attraction when we visited but I would love to see you do a video with your outstanding knowledge on back story and old time photos. Keep up the good work Ken 😀

[@annshenton119]

Should it not be the Mrs Twain House as she paid for the place before he was famous

[@Mamahubes]

Back in the early 1970s we went there on a school trip. If you look at the Dining room fireplace, there is a window above it. Mark Twain wanted to look outside when he was eating but being over a fireplace people thought that impossible. Hence the architect put the chimney flues on both sides of the window to get the effect. People during his time thought that to me a modern marvel. You have to look closely to see that it is a window and not a mirror in the photo.

[@christinacody8653]

I love how you chose to hide the fate of the Mark Twain home until the end. Glad it was able to be preserved.

[@judihughes3736]

And you ruined it for the rest of us!

[@ganymededarling]

Spoiler alert!! Jk 😂

[@Bahia82]

Right lol!!!

[@jamesslick4790]

@@judihughes3736 One should not look at the comments until watching a video, "Spoilers" are ALWAYS in the comment section.

[@chadbailey189]

the home is in amazing condition, but sadly, it's has criminal, low lifes, crack heads , mentally ill and homeless that live around the hole area where it's located. only visit during the day

[@xenonarts]

I grew up in that neighborhood. I have many fond memories of poling down the “Hog River” that ran by the house. The Hog River is now pretty much all under ground. I also fondly remember the annual Frog Jumping contests held for neighborhood kids on the front lawn. It was held in honor of Twain’s short story The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County". Years later, I attended a special event at a nearby venue that hosted Hal Holbrook as Mark Twain. All awesome memories!

[@piper888]

When I was a teenager I thought my father was an imbecile.....just a few short years later I was amazed at how much the old man had learned Mark Twain

[@gnolan4281]

Since reading the tales of Tom & Huck I have often thought how deftly Twain handled the scathing question of race. I feel he was a sublime subversive.

[@stephenritz5581]

I grew up just south of Hartford and have been to the home several times. It's definitely worth the trip if you are in the area. Harriet Beecher Stowe's house is nearby (next door, I believe). The State Capitol building is not too far and is the most beautiful in the country (😉 maybe I am playing favorites). Just to the south, Old Wethersfield has the Samuel Webb, Isaac Stevens & Silas Deane houses (George Washington slept in the Stevens House). Nearby is the Silas W Robbins house bed & breakfast - a beautifully restored second empire home (Ken, I'd love to see a piece on the if you haven't) The Buttolph Williams home (1711) is around the corner from the B& B. And within 30-40 miles you can see Gillette Castle (Ken has a video on this one), the Goodspeed Opera House, The Clock & Watch Museum in Bristol, CT and, in Rocky Hill, the Eliel Williams House (1769) that my folks bought in 1984 and restored over 30 years. Williams was a sea captain and is buried in the Center cemetery nearby. Just to sneak that in. There are 100 things I'm forgetting, but I should already apologize for the long post.

[@janeallingham7569]

Wondering if Williams the sea captain or Eliel were related to Roger Williams founder of Rhode Island.

[@MassiveChetBakerFan]

Your use of old photos to show the interior made me believe the house is no longer standing, so I was pleasantly surprised at the end of the video to discover it's still around and well maintained!

[@megfuchs9425]

I just really love this house! I can't tell you why really. It just looks cozy and well loved! I love queen Anne style and Gothic Victorian architecture, so the mix works for me.

[@karenflanagan1961]

That's awesome to keep a very important author & his beautiful family home up and & a part of American History.

[@Gratefulman1965]

My favorite room, Definitely the Library. I can see that room with my books and musical gear filling it, man! What an oasis that would be.

[@Laura-zy5jp]

What a beautiful home Twain had built . It saddens me greatly when lovely historical homes are unoccupied and left to fall into disrepair or worse vandalism!! But fortunately Twains home found a group to lovingly restore it and open as a museum . So many of these beautiful homes are demolished a crying shame😂😢😢 A bother wonderful This House Bravo!! Love that I subscibe to a worth while topic about beautiful mansions ❤❤

[@synchronicity1470]

sadly, many local governmental authorities in the US don 't hold much store in preserving historical homes & architectural treasures. They prefer selling out to big land developers that mow everything down for strip malls, parking lots or condominiums. Even Historical societies have a hard time saving places that deserve saving. Greed for money often wins out over historical preservation.

[@dbedazzling1]

Like Michael Jackson home☹️

[@laurelbraswell7687]

I visited the home on a 3rd grade class trip! 57yrs. ago!! I never forgot the conservatory ....I believe this house peaked my interest in interior design. I did end up with a BFA degree.....but it should have been in architecture after seeing this beauty!!! So glad he resided in Connecticut for a time, my home state.

[@Chris_at_Home]

I also went there in the early 60s with a grade school class from Lebanon Elementary School.

[@laurelbraswell7687]

@rvoit Do what you love!! If you can afford it!!!

[@sanniskett]

omg me to

[@sanniskett]

@@Chris_at_Home then i went to live in alaska..think deadliest catch

[@Chris_at_Home]

@@sanniskett No way would I want to do that. I went to work in the Arctic oil field in 1980 doing electronics and retired from a communications company. Most of these were nice inside jobs but I had to work outside some when I first started work there.

[@mariashaffer-gordon3561]

My husband and I were there this summer. It's a colorful, very Victorian house, and a fascinating place to visit. One of the tidbits not mentioned in this video is that the Twains slept in their ornate bed facing the headboard rather than the foot of the bed. Twain said that the bed cost so much that he wanted to see as much of it as possible when he was in bed, to get his money's worth. My favorite room in the house was the library. How could any bibliophile not want a room full of books? As he wrote to his mother in 1853, "If books are not good company, where will I find it?" Twain wrote comments in the margins in at least some of the books he owned. If you visit the house, make sure to also spend time in the Museum Center, and also tour the Harriet Beecher Stowe house, which is across the lawn from the Twain home.

[@mileshigh1321]

This is one house that I like every room and how its comfortable without being over stated! Even the outside does remind you in some ways of the river boats like you said! So glad its preserved! I waited with baited breath because I feared it might have been lost! So glad it survives!

[@ThisHouse]

It is a treasure well worth visiting if you are ever in the area. I’m glad you enjoyed seeing it! Cheers!

[@gbear2253]

@@ThisHouse how did the daughter die?

[@mariashaffer-gordon3561]

I saw it this summer, and disagree with your comment about it not being over stated. Even the foyer after you enter the house is ornate. In typically Victorian fashion, the house is filled with lots of stuff. I really enjoyed touring the house, but couldn't have lived there. I would love to have that library.

[@poetcomic1]

If you are visiting the Mark Twain House DO go next door to Harriet Beecher Stowe's lovely home for a tour.

[@derek2479]

Just found your channel, good content and presentation. I used to live a 5-minute walk from this house, and went there twice for a tour. Your tour was as good as, or perhaps better than, than the commentary offered when actually there. Like many, the billiards room was my favorite. Decades ago I helped with a local NPR broadcast from there where Garrison Keillor shot pool with local Connecticut NPR hosts and opined about Twain and American literature.

[@kellyfrost1052]

This is one of my most favorite houses! Love it and the "Stick Style".

[@SKF358]

Good video but I'd love to see color photos of the house and interior.

[@cynthiablake6208]

I want to go back, and don't care how much it cost to tour through it. It's just so incredibly fabulous and full of history, not to mention that it sits next to Harriet Beecher Stowe's home seeming to look over the city of Hartford which is built up around it.

[@mikeilkenhons8896]

M6 wife and I visited the house while on vacation several years ago. We took the guided tour. Your video does justice to the magnificence of the structure and the innovations in it. My favorite room was the billiard room. In one corner was a table, the table at which lemons wrote some of his iconic works. That awed me to see the place where Clemens created literary history. I grew up in the southern tip of Iowa. Hannibal, Missouri was just down river from m6 home town. My father worked for the railroad. On a drive with the family we stopped at the old freight station (now gone). We walked maybe a hundred yards up the street and there was Clemens little two story house. Years later when the station was torn down, my father was able to acquire two copper lanterns that hung over the sidewalk near the street. It is believed that Clemens stood under those lamps at night talking to the people and watching the river boats near by.

[@timothykuring3016]

I love that house. Lots of porches high and low. I used to exclaim over houses I loved, and I was always told they were carpenter's houses. I asked why they were called that, and I was told carpenters built them. Weren't all houses built by carpenters? I guessed it meant carpenters going wild building their own houses, when clients usually didn't want to pay for so much work on their houses. They said when she was sick, Suzy heard the trains going by on the nearby tracks, and she would say: "The trains come up and the trains go down for Mark Twain." Imagine her thinking of the world and her father's penname like that while she was dying. He believed she had inherited his humorous outlook and talent.

[@christinemerritt974]

I approve of everything in this glorious home except for the “Salmon paint” on the walls in the drawing room. Salmon walls are the worst. Yuck 🍣

[@feywerfolevado6286]

Agreed! What a drab and ill color

[@deeceepnw]

Nicely done. My favorite is definitely the Jungle. I think the daughters had the right idea.

[@jonnyminogue]

Katharine Hepburn’s family lived down the next block on Hawthorn Street after the Twains departure

[@ropeburnsrussell]

I thought she lived on Long Island sound?

[@jonnyminogue]

@@ropeburnsrussell Fenwick on Long Island Sound was her family vacation home, where she spent her final years too. Although she grew up in Hartford.

[@ropeburnsrussell]

@@jonnyminogue thanks for the info

[@mikenixon2401]

Good episode. It makes it even more interesting when the owners are people I know. Alright I didn't know him personally, but you know what I mean.

[@anneross5362]

Thanks for creating this video. It’s the first time Ive seen the interior in anything other than photos. My gt gt grandfather Fritz Schweppe did the interior decorating in the schoolroom or nursery and I think the childrens bedrooms.

[@dumbestoyster]

Another great episode, but I'm sorry, the shifting blue pattern behind the still images, was distracting to say the least

[@zerkfiter]

Just today the house was in the news.Vandals breaking windows with increasing size projectiles.sad.

[@cathypalus4006]

Thank you for sharing this.

[@bk1269]

I don't really see the Steamboat reference; however, to me this house looks more like a Railway Station out west c.1880's especially in the thumbnail. Luv your channel, BTW, enjoying your enthusiastic use of architectural terminology and design references. O! Pilasters, we hardly knew ye!

[@ezinafauda4394]

Sharing a bedroom was not rare for the time. People keep saying that but most couples actually shared a bedroom. It was the SUPER wealthy that had separate sleeping room. Also, indoor plumbing wasn't incredibly rare by 1870s. Most middle class homes started to incorporate plumbing. it was a new technology that people started to connect to.

[@DChristina]

Thank you for such a lovely video! I’ve always loved Mark Twain, have all his books 📚 I can’t decide in my favorite rooms; the library must definitely! The master bedroom with at carved headboard/footboard from Venice is just amazing! The guest bedroom with its light colors, and the conservatory compete for next favorite 💕 I’m now determined to go visit this most special home someday.

[@Materialworld4]

Thank you so much for your wonderful video on this beautiful, yet unusual home. For a second there I thought you were going to tell us it was torn down in the Great Depression, but thankfully it is still with us. I worked at Taliesin West, in North Scottsdale, Arizona for over two years, and over four in total for the FLW Foundation. It had a spirit and solitude that soaked into your soul if you worked there at the time of day and night when the visitors were not there. It had an abundance of wildlife, including deer, bobcats, cougars, javelina, pack rats, and a plethora of venomous snakes that got into every room in FLW's Winter Camp. When that camp was built starting in the 1930s, the Apprentices and the Wrights lived in tents miles from anything, and the Wrights concrete and canvas tent/abode is still there. He built it as a ship on the vast ocean on the desert, with a prow, promenade deck, theatres, dining hall and kitchen. When you looked out from the prow and promenade deck you would see the vast ocean waves made from long lines of creosote bushes, in the distance below, and the horizon was studded with islands in the form of Papago Hills to the south. Let me put it this way, as an artist it changed me from the first instant i beheld it in person, to the last time i walked its grounds, it was magic. FLW taught me a tremendous amount about his esthetic, Japanese art, silk prints, and gold glistening in the back of a darkened room when it was alighted by a flicker of light. Thanks, and I will be back

[@mariashaffer-gordon3561]

I enjoyed touring many of the homes FLW designed, including both Taliesin and Taliesin West. I can't imagine what FLW would have said about Twain's house - really the opposite of his aesthetics. He might have suggested tearing it down.

[@williamwoolcock]

Wasn't there a large fireplace with a picture window above the fire. Chimneys on both sides of the window drew the smoke out. I remember it from a tour in the mid 1970s.

[@redtankgirl5]

So glad they could preserve this home. I love the geometric ceiling in the entryway and the library not to mention the splendour of the jungle conservatory.

[@mariashaffer-gordon3561]

The entryway is quite spectacular.

[@monicacall7532]

I really like the decorative brickwork on the exterior walls of the house. Other than homes built during the Tudor era in England I’ve never seen such detailed artistic flourishes done with brick before, especially in the US. That stood out more to me than any of the interior spaces because they were generally your standard Victorian heavy and/or darkly furnished rooms, although I did like Clemen’s daughter’s room because it was light and more sparsely furnished.

[@mariashaffer-gordon3561]

The brickwork is really impressive.

[@jaelleerica]

You should come visit us in Hannibal next and tour his boyhood home and the cave etc! We also have the home of the unsinkable Molly brown and so much more incredible history- plus the homes in our historic districts are to die for!! I seriously drive up and down the streets of the different districts sometimes just wanting so bad to fix them all up- just driving dreaming and drooling at what they used to be like. If only I were rich haha! Oh we have a great mark twain museum etc...I am a very good tour guide for Hannibal lol I love it here. 🙂

[@edwinholcombe2741]

The bigger the house the more stuff you need to fill it and the more you need to maintain it. Even with impeccable taste it becomes hoarding and turns into a prison. I see the beauty and I enjoy the style but in the end these houses and the great castles of Europe seem too big to live in, too cumbersome and impractical - such a big waste and a ball and chain And in the end you can't take it with you. It's one value is to serve your pride. .

[@bobloblaw9679]

every sing;e part of this magnificent structure. just....give it to me.

[@ladyjane9980]

I have to say, I find Ken's 'story' of our beloved Mark Twain largely incomplete and off putting. While Twain did have a beautiful home in Hartford, he had and spent most of his years at Quarry Farm in Elmira, NY, which overlooked the Chemung River from East Hill. All of Twains children were born at Quarry Hill and they all grew up there. Quarry Hill was the home of Olivia Langdon and her family. Olivia's siblings, their spouses and their children also lived at Quarry Farm and they ran a dairy on the property. Twain built a writing cottage/study roughly 100 feet up the hill from the house. This is where he wrote his most famous novel's including The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer And Huck Fin, several more, navigation books, plays and more. I myself live in Elmira, and I am 1/2 mile from Twain's study where it sits today on the campus of Elmira College, and I can see the headstone that marks his grave (as well as his wife and children) from my bedroom window. When you tell a story about a real person, it is not only in poor taste to leave out large blocks of important information for the sake of a ten or twenty minute story, but it gives the listener a false idea of who that person really was; people deserve to know as much about the man as is possible. Mark Twain certainly is deserving of that respect too.

[@UHFOnline]

It's not a competition. He loved his Hartford home and I'm sure he loved his Elmira home also. I look forward to seeing your comprehensive documentary on his life. 😛

[@jameswilkins5938]

I've read everything written by Mark Twain that I could get my hands on. I especially enjoy his humor. My wife and I toured the house some years ago. The tour guide had several interesting stories which seemed in keeping with Twain's humor - apparently Hartford was at the time a noted cultural center and the Twain house is on what had been the most prestigious street. Rather than having the cloths lines (for drying cloths) behind the house, he had them in front clearly visible to passers by. There is also a rather large museum on the property with many of his humorous and wry comments displayed on the walls.

[@mariashaffer-gordon3561]

Many of the comments on the wall of the Museum Center and on many of the items in the gift shop were hysterical! Twain's wry sense of humor aged well indeed.

[@pattydriver9562]

To me the front room with the salmon and gold leaf stenciled print. The room was light and airy!

[@mikeschumacher9715]

Come here for the story of the house? Skip to 3:40. If you are looking for a history lesson on Mark Twain, start at 0.

[@rhsxo]

I believe he had a house in Calavares County. They have a reproduction of that house on the same spot.

[@elmerkilred159]

I was totally waiting for the other shoe to drop. I thought the narrator was going to start showing pictures of a strip mall, or parking lot.

[@nosystem1098]

I have toured this house three or four times. The photos are fine, but they pale in comparison to the real thing. Anyone who loves an artfully done home needs to see it.

[@micheljenson7080]

Thank goodness for the preservationists.

[@mersea.714]

Great video. My dad is buried in the same cemetery as he was in Elmira, NY.

[@wandadelacruz2486]

I wish these pictures were in color, but still beautiful

[@lorraine4755]

I been to Hannibal several times I live in Missouri.

[@Dolly-tw2vq]

The day I went to it the place was robbed

[@williamwoolcock]

Didn't Twain also lose money on his publishing the Autobiography of Ulysses S. Grant? But the book turned out later to be a great success and is a wonderful read.

[@David-yx2dk]

No, Twain lost most of his money investing in the invention of a typesetting machine. U.S. Grant’s memoirs were actually very successful and not only helped Twain but relieved Grant from leaving his family penniless upon his dearh

[@albussnape2]

Grew up in the area and have been inside this architectural treasure! Grateful it is still there. Hope to visit it again. ❤Mark Twain and ❤ this video tour 👏

[@sleeplessdreamer1814]

I love that fireplace and bookcase mantle. He and his wife snared the same bed, unusual for the time. Two daughters. Several bathrooms and closets, also unusual for the times. A happy family.

[@mr.crapper7197]

The craftsmanship is so exquisite! I hope this treasure is well protected.

[@BonafideGail]

I was privileged to see this home when I lived out East. The home was exquisite as was the delightful tour guide that took us through.

[@SmokyMountainBlessed]

thanks for the history of the house

[@lauratoneykee7072]

Mark Twain had a small cabin in Tuttletown, Tuolumne county, CA. It is about 5 miles down the road from where they hold the celebrated Calaveras Jumping Frog Jubilee he wrote about.

[@millardfillmore241]

The tour of Mark Twain's house is really interesting his next door neighbor was Louisa May Alcott.

[@lynnracine2459]

I went there in 7th grade 1968. Also toured his neighbors house too. Harriet Beecher Stowe house. Years later I had the honor of giving the docents from Mark Twain house a tour of Wistariahurst in my hometown.

[@leskobrandon8998]

Nice house, glad they saved it!

[@andyginterblues2961]

I have photos that I took of a small round building on the campus of Elmira (NY) college that Clemens was said to have written several novels in. It's in the same style of the Hartford mansion, with windows on all sides. Seem to recall that the plaque inside the building says that it was dismantled and relocated to the college campus at one time.

[@jennyskeen3826]

Hello Ken; have you been to the paper house in the Gloucester and Rockport MA. area, also known as Cape Ann? I grew up in Rockport and was able to visit the house. EVERYTHING is made of paper & it's story rarely is known by rest of the world and may interest other people who enjoy architecture. In the area there's another historical building that was turned into a hotel; if I recall correctly; that might be of interest as well. Both are on the Pigeon Cove main road near the bay side past a quarry. 🏠 🏫 I roamed the scenic route when I lived there, among other places on the island.

[@ThisHouse]

Thank you for the recommendation, how fascinating! I'll have to check it out. Cheers!

[@jennyskeen3826]

@@ThisHouse hi, other places to go and research: Gloucester's Hammond castle, Salem's house of seven gables, revolutionary war homes in Boston, Concord and Lexington, Plymouth plantation on Cape Cod; all are in Massachusetts - day trips.

[@KatWoman_]

I visited there in the past for a tour which was very interesting. Right next door is Harriet Beecher Stowe’s home also open to tour.

[@themysteriousdomainmoviepalace]

I love the conservatory and the porches. Beautiful house!

[@cassandraralph5906]

I saw this particular house owned by Mark Twain and his wife, in a series of photos on Pinterest, and I found them very interesting and fascinating to look at. This video taught me a lot about Mark Twain and his wife, and the house that they lived in. Thank you again. 😊

[@corneliuswowbagger]

You missed it, but the second story porch seems the most interesting feature to me.

[@synchronicity1470]

me, too. I would live on that porch! The house reminds me of an elaborate tree house.

[@matthewoffenbacher6548]

WOW! I HOPE I AM ABLE TO VISIT THIS SPLENDID ICONIC STRUCTURE ONE DAY.

[@davemilne2484]

Great design, great vid

[@bethelle9099]

'Obviously, the demise of this house has been greatly exaggerated!!!' 😁😁😁😁😁😁

[@pnkldy74]

Have you ever thought of doing videos on some of the old mansions in Cairo, IL? It may not be the town it use to be but sitting at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers it has a lot of history.

[@ThisHouse]

Cairo has such an interesting history, thanks for the recommendation.

[@pnkldy74]

@@ThisHouse My family on my dad’s side goes way back. Lincoln appointed my 4x Great Grandfather, Dr Daniel Arter, as Surveyor at the Cairo Port from I believe it was 1861-1869.

[@LoireValleyChateaux]

Our family lived a few houses away from Mark Twain's & Harriet Beecher Stowe's homes on Forest St. In 1959 the city purchased & tore down all the beautiful historical homes around these homes to build a parking lot for a new school. This led to a change in practices for dealing with historical homes. ❤️🙏

[@bethbartlett5692]

The 3rd Floor reminds me of Frank Loyd Wright's home in Illinois. I like it. I've seen the house, when in Connecticut but haven't been in the house.

[@miketalas7998]

Mark Twains Niece is buried in Carson City NV I had not known that fact until just a few years ago. I was born in Carson City NV and our back yard was only about 50 yards from the Cemetary she was laid to rest at!!! I was hoping this house was located in Carson City, but nope, Ah Well, My favorite room is the Jungle!!! :)