AtoZ Challenge: I - Introducing Hannibal's Wax Museum!

Haunted House on Hill Street

In keeping with yesterday's AtoZ Challenge "H" post, Haunted Hannibal, I thought I would introduce the latest spooky attraction to hit the town. Actually, the Haunted House on Hill Street has been around a long time, but it's been closed and for sale for the past seven years. Someone finally bought the rundown house last year, cleaned it up and installed twenty-seven life-size wax sculptures, featuring everyone from Mark Twain to Aunt Polly to Injun Joe. 

So, be sure to stop by the Haunted House on Hill Street described in Twain's novels. It's located right next door to the Becky Thatcher house. Did you notice the skeleton in the upstairs window? I'm going to stop by later today and see if I can peek in the windows. If any of those wax figures move, blink or wink...

AtoZ challenge: H - Haunted Hannibal

 The AtoZ Challenge letter today is "H." I'm featuring Mark Twain's hometown of Hannibal, MO.

Hurry! The tour starts soon!

Ghost Tours

"America's Hometown" is also sometimes referred to as "Haunted Hannibal." The Hannibal History Museum, located next to the Mark Twain Museum, hosts nightly excursions especially popular in the fall around Halloween.

Twain's last night in Hannibal: 

Rockcliffe Mansion, built in 1898 by John Cruishank, is the place Mark Twain stayed during his last visit to Hannibal in 1902. Of course, the old mansion slash B&B is said to be haunted. You can experience a spooky night's unrest and see for yourself if the rumors are true.

Rockliffe Mansion (photo: Wikipedia)

Stillwell Murders

Hannibal was home to wealthy citizen Amos J. Stillwell and his wife. He was found in his bed on December 30, 1888, murdered with an ax. The whole story can be read in the New York Times. The mansion has since been torn down. (Who wants to live in a house with that reputation?) A bank's parking lot sits on the empty space, full of eerie noises and haunted happenings late at night.

Tom Sawyer's infamous graveyard scene

Of course, we provide several ghoulish graveyards (circa 1830's) close to the Mississippi River. It is debatable whether or not the "Old Baptist Cemetery" was the one Mark Twain used to describe his lovely graveyard scene in Chapter 9 in his book Tom Sawyer. And, yes, it's creepy even in the daytime. I came across Becky Thatcher's (aka Laura Hawkins) dad's headstone. Historians think Twain used the "Old Cemetery" as writing inspiration, which was abandoned after the Civil War to make way for a housing development. Does that mean those bodies are still buried underneath the residential area?! CREEPY.

Poster in the Hannibal History Museum

If you come for a visit, be sure to check out the Haunted Hannibal Ghost Tour. Not sure if Edgar Allan Poe will be your tour guide, but you can see for yourself if our town is truly "Haunted Hannibal."