Mark Twain boyhood home is high and dry

Just as Mark Twain himself suffered premature reports of his death, today some reports of Hannibal’s flooding have been exaggerated. Mark Twain’s world-famous boyhood home, now part of the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum properties, is safely tucked away behind Hannibal’s 34 foot flood wall, with no imminent danger in sight. 
“We have no reason to believe any of the eight museum buildings that make up the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum properties are in danger from the rising river,” said Megan Rapp, manager of marketing and community relations for the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum. 
The Museum further stresses the fact that the museum properties, along with the rest of historic downtown Hannibal Main Street, are open for business.
“We encourage people that have already made plans to visit Hannibal to keep those plans,” says Dr. Regina Faden, executive director of the museum. “Projections of flooding have remained well below the flood walls height. This is the same wall that held in 1993, and we have no concerns thus far.” 
The museum is continuing its usual summer business hours as well as special events, including their first week-long teacher’s workshop, scheduled to begin next week. The workshop will bring teachers from around the nation to learn about Twain’s hometown and his writing, including the river, for use in their classrooms.
The museum, which is operating business as usual, is prepared should action need to be taken. “Like any museum, we have a disaster plan, which we would carry out if need be to make sure our collection would remain safe, but we do not foresee having to use this plan,” says Faden.
In the meantime, museum staff and visitors alike are taking in the ever changing landscape of the mighty Mississippi. As Mark Twain put it, “It [the Mississippi River] is not a commonplace river, but on the contrary is in all ways remarkable.”
Submitted by Megan Rapp, manager of marketing and community relations, of the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum