History

Data@Museums

Mark Twain Museum

The Mark Twain Museum used census data to tell the story of Tom Blankenship, the
Hannibal, MO, boy who served as the model for Twain's Huckleberry Finn character.

Photo courtesy of the Mark Twain Museum.

The Mark Twain Museum's historic homes and interpretive exhibits show visitors how Mark Twain—a Hannibal, MO, native—became one of the nation's most beloved writers and humorists. One of these exhibits, the Blankenship family home tells the story of Tom Blankenship, who was the model for Twain's Huckleberry Finn character.

Little is known about the Blankenship family other than what the Mark Twain Museum gathered from the 1850 census. These data include the family's makeup and general location of their home. Although the original home was demolished in 1911, the museum completed the recreated Blankenship home on its original site in 2006. Today, the Blankenship home—known as the "Huckleberry Finn House"—houses a permanent exhibit detailing the lives of the Blankenship family and the history of slavery in Hannibal, MO.

To learn more about Mark Twain and the Blankenship family, visit the Mark Twain Museum at http://www.marktwainmuseum.org.

In November 2015, the U.S. Census Bureau's history staff commemorated Mark Twain's 180th birthday. Visit the archived history home page here.