The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-09-06
soyhood Home of the Great Author Is
Purchased by Hannibal Citizen
and Presented to
tho City.
PERMANENTLY SAW
City VIII See to 1t That the Historical
Old House Is Kept In Good
Shape as Civic
Pride.

The boyhood home OF Samuel L.
Clemens (Mark Twain, built by his
father, John M. Clemens, in 1889, was
purchased by Hon. George A. Mahan
and Mrs. Ida D. Mahan and will be
presented to the city of Hannibal in
order that 1t may be permanently pre-
served. A Hannibal paper says:
Mr.. and Mrs. Mahan decided, few
days ago, that they would like to buy
the old boyhood home of Mark Twain
and present it to the city.
The commercial club had an option
on the property which expired Sep
TENDER LIST, which Mr.. Mahan was
aware of. He notified the club that he
would take advantage of the CONNER
cial club option and buy the property
If agreeable The property was owned
by Mrs. Margaret Hurley, of st. Louis.
She came to Hannibal and general
warranty deed conveying the property
to Mr.. and Mrs. Mahan was signed by
Mrs. Hurley yesterday afternoon in
the office of Mr.. E. v. Settles. 1t had
been the intention Of the Commercial
club to raise the amount asked for
the building by popular subscription,
but the generosity and public spirit
of Mr.. and Mrs. Mahan relieved the
commercial club of the necessity Of
raising the funds in that way.
When Mr.. Mahan was asked the in
centive that prompted the purchase,
he said: Mark Twain's life teaches
that poverty is rather an incentive
than bar, and that boy, however
humble his birth and surroundings,
may, by honesty and industry, accom-
plish great things. This is one of the
reasons why his modest boyhood
home should be preserved"
The ho5.se is eighty and one-half
feet west of Main street on the north
side of Hill street and the ground it
stands on is described as follows.
Part of lot 1 lone) in block nine (9),
city of Hannibal, to-wit: Beginning
on Hill street, eighty and one-half
(sO1a) feet west of the corner of Hill
and Second street, thence north at
right angles with Hill street sixty-five
and one-half (657a) feet; thence west
parallel with Hill street twenty and
one-half t201A) feet; thence south six
ty-five and one-half (651s) feet to Hill
street, thence east on Hill street TWEEN
ty and one-half (201a) feet to begin
ming
In other words, the house stands on
lot fronting twenty and one-half feet
on Hill street by sixty-five and one.
half feet deep.
Lot l in block 9 was acquired by
John NJ. Clemens from Ira Stout and
wife on the thirteenth day of No
Sember, 1889, at the valuation of ST.
00G. This. lot included ali of the
property owned on the corner Of
Main and Hill streets by Mr.. Fred
Miller and running back and includ-
ing the old Mark Twain house and
other houses between it and the al
ley on the west, so whatever doubt
there may be in the minds of some
citizens of Hannibal that the little
two story frame home is the real
boyhood home of Mark Twain should
be dispelled His father owned all Of
that lot at one time, but in 1871 he
cot into some financial trouble am
decided it to John Kerr, trustee, fo-
use of various creditors
On October 81, 1913. John NJ. Glen
ems and wife, by John Kerr, trustee,
decided by trustee deed to James
Clemens the property known as the
Mark Twain boyhood home. That was
the first time that the original lot l
in block had ever been subdivided.
1t was done in order to set off the
homestead and save the little house
for them to live in.
James Clemens leased, on April 10,
1S47, to Oren Clemens (Oren Clemens
another brother of Mark Twainl, the
little frame house for a period of
twenty-five years for the considera-
ton of 1915. The privilege was given
the party to buy the property at any