Mark Twain's

Neighborhood Nook Farm

On the porches of Nook Farm in Hartford, Connecticut, Mark Twain raised his family, amused a tumultuous nation with his wit, saved a president’s family from destruction, lost a fortune on an invention and wrote some of the most famous stories in the history of American literature. Amidst a community of politicians, industrialists, writers, and spiritualists challenging discussions ensued concerning a nation facing an era of rapid industrialization and unprecedented innovation.

With neighbors such as Harriet Beecher Stowe, the well-known author of, "Uncle Tom’s Cabin"; Charles Dudley Warner, Editor of the "Hartford Courant" newspaper; Joseph Hawley, a Civil War general and legendary political figure; William Gillette, the actor who brought Sherlock Holmes to life on the American stage; Nook Farm became a focus of Victorian-American architecture, and a focus for the issues of the day, including women’s rights, industrialization, and immigration.