The Mark Twain House & Museum — Attraction in Hartford

Standing on the dappled lawn of Nook Farm in Hartford, Connecticut, one is struck by how the Mark Twain House seems to burst with personality—much like its former owner. This burnt-orange brick Victorian Gothic masterpiece, built in 1874, has the architectural equivalent of a wink and a smile.

For those unwilling to part with $29 for a scripted interior tour, the exterior alone offers a rich architectural feast. Edward Tuckerman Potter, primarily known for his Gothic Revival churches, created a residential landmark that Justin Kaplan aptly described as "part steamboat, part medieval fortress and part cuckoo clock." The façade's playful polychrome brickwork—orange and black patterns creating zigzags and geometric designs—seems to telegraph Twain's own literary mischief.

As you circle the house, notice how the steep gabled roofs, ornamental brackets, and asymmetrical layout create a sense of whimsy rather than pretension. The covered portico entrance, with its hexagonal patterned glass windows and intricately carved woodwork ceiling, invites visitors into what was once the heart of Hartford's intellectual community.

The 11,500-square-foot house cost between $40,000 and $45,000 to build (over $1 million today), funded by Olivia Clemens' inheritance. While initially modest inside, the interior was later redesigned by Louis Comfort Tiffany in 1881 after the success of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer." During his 17 years here, Twain wrote his most celebrated works, including "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court."

But it's the human stories that give this house meaning. Samuel Clemens adopted his pen name from riverboat terminology meaning "two fathoms deep"—safe water for navigation. His third-floor sanctuary included a billiard room, writing desk, and separate bedroom for late-night writing sessions or escapes from family life. When financial troubles forced the family to Europe in 1891, they never returned. After losing their daughter Susy to meningitis in 1896, Livy couldn't bear to come back, and they sold the property in 1903.

Next door stands the more modest Gothic cottage-style home of Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of "Uncle Tom's Cabin." At 5,000 square feet, it's less than half the size of Twain's mansion, reflecting their different positions in life—she was already internationally famous when he arrived, while he was still ascending to literary stardom.

When Twain first saw Hartford, he declared: "Of all the beautiful towns it has been my fortune to see, this is the chief.... You do not know what beauty is if you have not been here." The city had the highest per-capita income in America at the time, making it a fitting setting for his literary ascent.

Visitors with limited time should walk the wraparound porch with its ornate wooden detailing and observe how the western light catches the decorative brickwork in late afternoon. The octagonal conservatory with its glass walls offered the family a year-round garden retreat in harsh Connecticut winters.

Behind the historic house stands the 2003 Museum Center, designed by Robert A.M. Stern—a 32,700-square-foot modern counterpoint that was the first museum in America to receive LEED certification. Its café offers fine views of the grounds, though the coffee isn't memorable enough to justify the prices.

The Mark Twain House narrowly escaped demolition in 1929 when Katharine Seymour Day, Harriet Beecher Stowe's grandniece, organized "Friends of Hartford" to save it. The property was meticulously restored between 1955 and 1974, and in 2012, National Geographic named it one of the Ten Best Historic Homes worldwide.

For those seeking to avoid entrance fees entirely, the exterior views, available daily from dawn to dusk, provide ample opportunity to appreciate this masterpiece of American Victorian architecture—much like savoring Twain's novels without paying for a...

The Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford, Connecticut, was the home of Samuel Langhorne Clemens (Mark Twain) and his family from 1874 to 1891. It was designed by Edward Tuckerman Potter and built in the American High Gothic style. Clemens biographer Justin Kaplan has called it "part steamboat, part medieval fortress and part cuckoo clock."

Clemens wrote many of his best-known works while living there, including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Prince and the Pauper, Life on the Mississippi, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, A Tramp Abroad, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.

Poor financial investments prompted the Clemens family to move to Europe in 1891. The Panic of 1893 further threatened their financial stability, and Clemens, his wife Olivia, and their middle daughter, Clara, spent the year 1895-96 traveling so that he could lecture and earn the money to pay off their debts. He recounted the trip in Following the Equator (1897). Their other two daughters, Susy and Jean, had stayed behind during this time, and Susy died at home on August 18, 1896 of spinal meningitis before the family could be reunited. They could not bring themselves to reside in the house after this tragedy and spent most of their remaining years living abroad. They sold the house in 1903.

The building later functioned as a school, an apartment building, and a public library branch. In 1929, it was rescued from possible demolition and put under the care of the newly formed non-profit group Mark Twain Memorial. The building was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1962. A restoration effort led to its being opened as a house museum in 1974. In 2003, a multimillion-dollar, LEED-certified visitors' center was built that included a museum dedicated to showcasing Twain's life and work.

The house faced serious financial trouble in 2008 due partly to construction cost overruns related to the new visitors' center, but the museum was helped through publicity about their plight, quick reaction from the state of Connecticut, corporations, and other donors, and a benefit performance organized by writers. Since that time, the museum has reported improved financial conditions, though the recovery was marred by the 2010 discovery of a million-dollar embezzlement by the museum's comptroller, who pleaded guilty and served a jail term.

The museum claimed record-setting attendance levels in 2012. It has featured events such as celebrity appearances by Stephen King, Judy Blume, John Grisham, and others; it has also sponsored writing programs and awards. Also in 2012, the Mark Twain House was named one of the Ten Best Historic Homes in the world in The Ten Best of Everything, a National Geographic Books...

Know that if you are on the last tour of the day, you need to come an hour earlier than your tour to view the 23 minute movie, exhibits and gift shop. NOWHERE in the on-line ticket instructions are you told this. Paid $27 full price, but only saw part of what I paid for due to staff leaving at the end of the last tour. They run the house tours every 15 minutes so there are 3-4 groups crossing paths inside the house. Two of the other docents spoke SO LOUDLY that we could not hear our docent. The 23-minute Ken Burns movie room has three walls. The fourth "wall" is a heavy curtain. Unfortunately, the hallway is all stone, two stories high and absorbs no sounds of voices. Hearing the movie is difficult. Tour started late. Very few personal pieces in house actually belonged to Clemons family. Inside of house is in good shape, but exterior has chipping paint. No photography allowed inside. Disappointing. Samuel Clemens would be saddened at what his neighborhood has become...close to a slum and full of trash. I visited the house 20 years ago. The neighborhood, gift shop and all around experience was so much worse this time. ADORE MT and LOVED the tour last time. I chuckle to think what MT would say about feckless mask mandate. I am an ICU RN. The CVD molecule is miniscule, smaller than the weave on ANY mask. For example, if you can smell wearing a mask, the CVD molecule is smaller than smell molecules and I assure you...getting through the unnecessary mask. So incredibly ignorant of the facts. Same stats in various cities with/without mask mandates. 🐑 🐏 🐑 Overpriced.

Need new management!!...