Believe it or not, you know who he is.
You’ve probably read not one but a few of his works in school or just because
you wanted to.
Samuel Clemens is the real Mark Twain; and
if you ever get the chance to go to Elmira, New York, you’ll find out who this
man really was. Not many people know that Mark Twain found solace in Finger
Lakes Wine Country or that he actually did have a life outside of his novels. He
and his family spent their summers in Elmira for 20 years. It is where he found
inspiration and wrote most of his legendary books. Now Elmira has quite a few
places you can visit to experience and learn more about one of America’s
greatest authors.
The Mark Twain Exhibit is open Tuesday
through Sunday from 9:30 a. -4:30 p.
The Chemung Valley History Museum is open
Monday through Saturday from 10 a. -5 p. Admission is $3 for adults, $2 for
senior citizens, and $1.00 for students (ages 6-18). Children under 5 are free!
Quarry
Farm
As previously mentioned, this was the
original site of the infamous Mark Twain study. Quarry Farm was owned by Susie
Crane; Samuel Clemens’ sister-in-law, and is where the family spent most of
their summers. But in 1982, after years
in the Langdon family, it too was donated to Elmira College. Now the property
is used solely for educational purposes. In fact, the actual house on the
property is closed to the public. The only way to get close to it is by
attending an Elmira College lecture in the barn. Elmira College hosts these
lecture series usually twice a year. The next series starts on May 14. The
Langdon family asked that the house be used solely for scholars, in hopes that
the home would produce many more great American novels.
For more information about lecture series
at Quarry Farm, please contact Elmira College.
Woodlawn
Cemetery
While Clemens was born in Missouri, spent
time navigating the Mississippi, and lived most of his adult life out in
Connecticut, Woodlawn Cemetery in Elmira is where he chose his final resting
place to be. What name is on the actual gravestone; Samuel Clemens or Mark
Twain? You can do a quick internet search to find out, but it would
be much more fun to visit and see for yourself.
Of course there is so much more to learn
about the real Mark Twain, and Elmira is just to the place to visit to find
out.
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