Not much remains of the tiny village of Florida, Missouri. But the landscape is the stage for Mark Twain’s early childhood. As a young kid, most of Clemens’ favorite playmates were the children of slaves. That childhood experience had a profound effect on his life, and his works.

The Clemens’ little two-room homestead cabin has been restored, and encased in a protective gymnasium-like building that surrounds the tiny cabin like a giant airbag. Inside, priceless treasures await in the Mark Twain birthplace and museum in Mark Twain State Park. After the Clemens family moved from his birthplace—a two-room shack—and before the house was moved to its current location in 1930, it served as a printing office, a grain storage shed, and cow shelter.

Twain’s daughter Clara donated many personal items to the museum, including Hartford furnishings (loveseat, mother-in-law’s desk) and his carriage.

But the most intriguing exhibit is the original manuscript of Tom Sawyer, with stenographer’s script and Twain’s edits.

Thanks, park Superintendent Rachel for showing me around.