Hannibal History

   

Hannibal Jail built in 1876  currently under going restoration

  Today was a day of historical exploring in Hannibal, Missouri and beyond. We began with the culinary course by heading for Becky Thatcher's Restaurant well know locally for it's breakfasts. It is themed not with Tom Sawyer and Mark Twain but the Missouri 50's when Route 66 famously traveled through St. Louis to Chicago. Jim declared his Southwest Omelet to be best west of the Mississippi (by about 1/2 mile).  The waffles and sausage were a close second. They had a huge mural with Cadillacs and Buicks of the 50's and a movie theatre featuring Elvis Presley's Love Me Tender from 1956. Period tables and chairs graced the diner as well as more pictures of Hannibal cars and owners from the early and mid 50's.  I looked through all the photos to find my 1953 Dynaflow Buick I drove during my tenure at Woodland High but it had not been immortalized in the Hannibal photos.

Becky Thatcher's Restaurant 5 star breakfasts!

       After this course in culinary history, we walked Main Street of Hannibal after climbing up to the top of the bluff to see the lighthouse which was erected to the memory of Sam Clemens otherwise known as Mark Twain. We walked by the building where, as a very young man, he started his writing career with the town newspaper, and his boyhood home that he lived in for a few years as a child before his father lost it to a financial downturn. We are staying at an RV park which includes the Mark Twain cave. Young Sam explored this system of tunnels in the limestone as a child and it was the inspiration for Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher's cave escape from Indian Joe.

Palmyra Site of Several Important Historical Events

       Being interested in some of the Civil War history of this area .We drove to Palmyra about 10 miles from Hannibal. There in front of city hall is a monument to 10 Confederate POW's who were shot by the Union because they would not give up the location of a proUnion sympathizer who was being held by the Confederates. There is a sculpture of a Confederate soldier and a moving tribute to their deaths by the hand of the Union Colonel. We had to do some reading to remember that Missouri was a slave state with roving guerrilla bands of Secessionists who hit the Union soldiers who held areas such as Hannibal. In Palmyra, an abolitionist was jailed for convincing slaves to run away. Tensions were strong through out Missouri during the war.

Near the Main Street in Palmyra were several lovely old homes which had been beautifully restored. 

      Today, again, we had a brief rain in the morning. It was just enough to drive the humidity up and with a temperature of 95 in the afternoon, Rose was opted to stay home in the Escape under the air conditioning while we made our stops. This heat and humidity is not traveling dog friendly. Be well all.