I am posting the following on behalf of Terrell Dempsey, Secretary of the Hannibal Historic District Development Commission. [This letter will also appear in the next Mark Twain Circular.] You may respond directly to the Forum or mail or email your responses directly to Mr. Dempsey at the addresses listed at the end of the letter.] Request from the Hannibal Historic District Development Commission Dear Mark Twain Scholars: The Hannibal Historic District Development Commission (HDDC) is seeking your help. We are charged by the City of Hannibal with supervision of the historic district which includes the boyhood home of Mark Twain. (As many of you undoubtedly know, the home is the original structure on the original site, as are all other buildings in the Historic District except for the John Clemens office, which was moved to the present location.) The Mark Twain Home Foundation which owns and operates the home is proposing to build new buildings in the historic district in the immediate vicinity of the Home. (The foundation members include one historian, bank presidents, real estate developers, an attorney, and manager of the local cement company and the newspaper publisher). The foundation's immediate plan is to construct a church and a school. (We understand that there is a desire later on to construct a printer's shop.) These structures will not comply with HDDC guidelines because they are not structures that actually existed on the location, or for that matter in Hannibal. They are "fictions," if you will-ersatz reconstructions of old-looking structures that were never there. These buildings will comprise a village in the immediate area around the boyhood home to the north and east. Actual structures in the proposed area in Twain's time included a grocery store Orion operated for a while, a hotel and an unspecified commercial structure. The HDDC does not oppose careful reconstruction of these buildings. The Foundation has been reluctant to state why they believe the church and school would be appropriate, except that they wish to "honor" Mark Twain. The Foundation has indicated that the local Baptist college has been consulted and services can be held in the church on Sundays for tourists and that Twain went to two churches in Hannibal. No reason has been offered for the school except that Twain has been widely read in schools and one-room schools are associated with him. The HDDC was told at a city council meeting that the school building could be used as a meeting place for bus tours. The city council has instructed the Foundation to go to the Zoning Board for a variance. We are to express our opinion to the Zoning Board as well. Our concern is simple; the proposed constructions are not history. They are tourism. We would like your help in our efforts to articulate why history should matter to Hannibal, and how respecting history can actually be good for tourism. . We are woefully unprepared to address the Twain issues. Therefore, we would like your opinions on the following issues: 1) How important is historical accuracy in Hannibal's depiction of Twain and the town? And what affect would efforts to preserve the historical integrity of this area have on your decision to visit or return to Hannibal as a tourist? 2) What was the role of the church in Twain's life and is the construction of a church an appropriate way to honor him? 3) What were the schools Twain attended? What was the role of school in Twain's life and is the construction of a school appropriate? 4) Should the Foundation build ersatz structures or should money be put into the rehabilitation of existing mid-19th Century building stock? (There are many such buildings in the Historic District.) 6) What are the risks of a reconstructed village to people's experience of history? 7) How can Hannibal best honor Mark Twain and simultaneously promote tourism? Your thoughtful replies would be most appreciated. If the decision regarding these structures is made on a strictly political basis, the result is a foregone conclusion. Please mail or email your replies to: Terrell Dempsey, Secretary Hannibal Historic District Development Commission City Hall, 300 Broadway Hannibal, Missouri 63401 Fax: 573-221-2808 email: [log in to unmask]