In the Footsteps of Mark Twain

This article is brought to you by Janalyn Voigt

The calliope, an air-operated Tangley Calliaphone, played bright music from America’s past while the riverboat plowed through the muddy Mississippi. I sat beside my husband, who had joined me by plane at the end of my road trip traveling the Oregon Trail backwards on the way to a family reunion. A photograph from the trip shows us looking relaxed and happy. You’d never know that our toddler had just thrown a grand tantrum. After being strapped in a car seat for the better part of each day for a week, she'd had more than enough of our road trip. All she wanted was to run and play. Why wouldn't we let her?
Of such is life.

Mark Twain Riverboat at Glascock's Landing, Hannibal, Missouri; Image by Chris Light (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Freed from what should have been a pleasant cruise but had become a memory-maker of another kind, we returned to our accommodations at Hannibal’s Belvedere Inn. We’d chosen this Italianate mansion turned bed-and-breakfast for its vintage beauty. The palatial ceiling and incredibly tall windows in our room made me feel like a child at a grown-up tea party. They knew how to build a mansion back in 1859. 

After a night’s sleep and a breakfast buffet, we visited the boyhood home of Samuel Langhorne Clemmens (aka: Mark Twain). The picket fence surrounding the home would have needed whitewashing in young Sam’s day, of course. The home itself was modest but comfortable. Seeing the environment where young Samuel grew up connected me with a bygone era. I could almost hear the neighborhood kids playing on a summer day or shouting with joy while swimming in the river.

Boyhood Home of Samuel Langhorne Clemens (Mark Twain); Image by Andrew Balet (Own work) [CC BY 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons

We went across the street to see the childhood home of Laura Hawkins, an early playmate of Samuel's. Laura’s birthday fell on November 30th and Samuel’s on December 1st, so the families often celebrated together. She was Samuel’s childhood sweetheart and the inspiration for Becky Thatcher in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Laura didn't wind up with Samuel, however. She married a physician named James W. Frazer, and the couple had two sons. He left her a widow in her forties. In 1895, Laura signed on as matron of a home for orphans and the destitute. She and Samuel Clemmens were lifelong friends who stayed in touch with one another.

The Becky Thatcher House, Hannibal Missouri By Andrew Balet (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Laura Hawkins' account of going to school with her childhood sweetheart.

The day had grown hot and our feet weary, so we grabbed a quick bite to eat and went back to our room to rest. We had the usual tourist's restlessness, so before long we decided to take a walk around Hannibal. Because it’s that kind of place. No matter how big Hannibal grows, I suspect it will always feel like a small town. While on our walk, we noticed a house on a hillock standing out some blocks away. We started uphill towards it, but the heat and fatigue plagued me. I kept going anyway, intrigued by the commanding home.

We followed the last stretch of aging sidewalk to discover that we’d stumbled on a historic home open to the public. To our delight, the Rockcliffe Mansion had not been spoiled by renovation “improvements,” but had largely been left in its original state. We were not allowed to take photographs, lest our flashbulbs destroy the fragile antiques. Unspoiled treasures such as I have never seen before and may never again lay on every hand, down to exquisite wallpaper, tiffany windows, carved woodwork, light fixtures, statues, carpeting – the list is too long for me to describe here. 

Rockcliffe Mansion on the NRHP since September 18, 1980, at 1000 Bird St., Hannibal, Missouri on top of a rocky hill. The name Rockcliffe is very appropriate. Built by a lumber magnate, the home sat empty for over 40 years. The mansion is now a B&B in Mark Twain's hometown. Image by Smallbones (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Images of the interior of Rockcliffe Mansion. 

We toured all the areas of the mansion except the parts that were off-limits. Rockcliffe Mansion offers bed and breakfast accommodations. I'd like to go back and sleep there someday, although like many homes steeped in history, it has a reputation. You see, this was Hannibal's haunted house and informed the description of the "ha'nted house" in Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

Mark Twain stood on a special platform built over the Rockcliffe Mansion’s main stairway landing in 1902 and gave a speech to the town’s worthies. Looking out over the foyer from much the same place that he stood, I could almost see his admiring audience, dressed in their best, listening, smiling, laughing. Mark Twain knew how to entertain a crowd. The realization that it had been his final visit to Hannibal brought a lump to my throat. Wealth, fame, fulfillment in work, an audience most writers can only dream about – he had it all. It hardly seemed fair. The sum total of even a celebrated man’s existence fades with time. 

Jesus’s words came to me then. "Don't lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don't break through and steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” Matthew 6-19-21; World English Bible.


This is why I write, to proclaim that our mortal life is not all there is, that it doesn't end with the grave, and that human souls are more important than treasures that one day crumble to dust.

About Janalyn Voigt

My father instilled a love of literature in me at an early age by reading chapters from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Robinson Crusoe and other classics. When I grew older, and he stopped reading bedtime stories, I put myself to sleep with tales I 'wrote' in my head. My sixth-grade teacher noticed my interest in storytelling and influenced me to become a writer.

I'm what is known as a multi-genre author, but I like to think of myself as a storyteller. The same elements appear in all my novels in proportions dictated by their genre: romance, mystery, adventure, history, and whimsy. 

Visit http://janalynvoigt.com

Hills of Nevermore by Janalyn Voigt

Can a young widow hide her secret shame from the Irish circuit preacher bent on helping her survive?
In an Idaho Territory boom town, America Liberty Reed overhears circuit preacher Shane Hayes try to persuade a hotel owner to close his saloon on Sunday. Shane lands face-down in the mud for his trouble, and there’s talk of shooting him. America intervenes and finds herself in an unexpectedly personal conversation with the blue-eyed preacher. Certain she has angered God in the past, she shies away from Shane.

Addie Martin, another widow, invites America to help in her cook tent in Virginia City, the new mining town. Even with Addie’s teenage son helping with America’s baby, life is hard. Shane urges America to depart for a more civilized location. Neither Shane’s persuasions nor road agents, murder, sickness, or vigilante violence can sway America. Loyalty and ambition hold her fast until dire circumstances force her to confront everything she believes about herself, Shane, and God.Based on actual historical events during a time of unrest in America, Hills of Nevermore explores faith, love, and courage in the wild west.

Learn More About This Book

How a Wisconsin Lakeshore Home Came to be Called Aloha Lodge

By Pamela S. Meyers

For this month we are moving farther down the south shore of Geneva Lake in southeastern Wisconsin to an estate called Aloha Lodge, which was designed by Howard Shaw, a well known architect of the period. Although the home was built over the years beginning in 1900 and ending in 1902, it is still very much intact today despite a string of different owners over the many decades.

Photo from a booklet of historical estates on Geneva Lake.

Aloha Lodge was Built by Tracy C. Drake, founder and owner of the famous Drake Hotel in Chicago and, sometime later, The Blackstone Hotel and Blackstone Theater in Chicago. The home became a summer and weekend retreat for the Drake family for thirty-five years. At that time it was sold to Richard Lydy, a Chicago parking garage magnate.

During the years the home was under construction, Mr. and Mrs. Drake took an extended vacation to Hawaii and fell in love with the islands. Upon returning home they decided to name their estate Aloha Lodge and their private yacht was named Kaiulani. When that steam yacht burned beyond repair and they purchased a new yacht, they named that yacht Aloha.

From Wis. Historical Society Web Page

In the latter months of the construction, Mr. Drake had been so enamoured with a grove of sugar maples he'd seen in the fall when their leaves turned a brilliant red, he approached the owner of the grove and purchased 100 of the trees. The trees were removed during the winter. With their root balls carefully wrapped, they were transported across the frozen lake from the village of Williams Bay to Aloha Lodge and planted in the home's front yard. The twist of the story is that apparently when fall arrived, the leaves never turned red again, but a bright golden color instead. I don't know if any of those trees are still standing, but the trees in the current photo don't look old enough to be over 100 years old.

According to an article in the July 23, 1939, edition of the Chicago Tribune, the interior of the home was anything but what one would expect in a colonial style home. It would appear that if the couple were alive today they would definitely embrace the “open concept” style of interior design. There are no entry halls to take up wasted space and the entire front of the home, which faces the lake, is taken up by what we would call today a “great room.” At one end is a large fireplace and an arrangement of living room type furniture, while at the opposite end are shelves which give that space a library-like feel. At the other corner of that end of the space is the grand piano, radio, phonograph, and a Swiss music box. which gives the sense of a music room. The stairway to the second floor is within the boundaries of the room as well. The side of the room that faces the lake looks out on a wide veranda and beyond that, about 50 feet away, the crystal blue waters of Geneva Lake.

Over the years, additions have been built onto the home on either end that have extended its footprint, but the main part of the home has remained intact, and it can be seen from the excursion boats where it is announced by the tour guide. And, of course, if you walk the shore path along that part of the lakeshore, you can stroll directly through the home’s front yard! The picture below is how it looks now.

What about you? Do you prefer open concept or walls defining singular rooms?

References:
Wisconsin Historical Society, Wis. Architecture & History Inventory, Aloha Lodge, Linn Township, Walworth County, WI #68474

Picture of Current estate: www.lakegenevaestates.com

Chicago Tribune; 7/23/39; Aloha Lodge is Old Drake Home on Lake Geneva

Newport of the West; Ann Wolfmeyer & Betsy Burns Gage, 1976

A native of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, author Pamela S. Meyers lives in suburban Chicago with her two rescue cats. Her novels include Thyme for Love, Love Finds You in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, Second Chance Love, Surprised by Love (a reissue of Love Finds You in Lake Geneva to be released June 2017) and her novellas, What Lies Ahead, and If These Walls Could Talk (to be released May 2017). When she isn’t at her laptop writing her latest novel, Pam can often be found nosing around Wisconsin and other Midwestern spots for new story ideas.

Villa Patina - A Home Whose Gardens Became Legendary

By Pamela S. Meyers

The October stop on our tour of the late 19^th/early 20^th Century homes on the shores of Geneva Lake in southeastern Wisconsin is Villa Palatina, a bit of a distance along the shore from our last stop. We had to pass by several of the many camps that sprouted up at the same time the shoreline began to be populated by private mansions.

The home was built in 1893 by George Weiss. The land itself before then was called Forest Glen Park which included a public resort with a hotel, cottages and camping facilities. The property included a pretty stream that originated from a spring. The stream flowed down to the shore and fed into the lake. (Geneva Lake is fed by several springs at the west end of the lake). When Weiss purchased a portion of the resort property, he chose the part that included the stream. The camp buildings were sold off and moved elsewhere. Weiss improved the gardens around the stream, but his future plans for the property were cut short when he became ill and had to sell the property to Edward G. Uihlein, whose family owned the Schlitz Brewing Company in Milwaukee. The brewery had established a location in Chicago and E.G. Uihlein was assigned to oversee that operation. Geneva Lake sits almost halfway between Chicago and Milwaukee, making the lake property a good place for the Uihlein extended family to gather.

Uihlein's Gardens

Uihlein, who changed the name of the estate to Forest Glen, focused a great deal on the land around the stream, developing it even more than Weiss had done. He hired landscape architect, Jens Jensen, to design the property which included rustic dams and bridges. He brought in plants and trees that were not usually seen in the area, along with those which were indigenous to Wisconsin. Once completed, he invited the public to come and enjoy his park-like setting. Many residents from the nearby village of Fontana took advantage of his offer, which continued for several decades.

Uihlein died in 1921 and a year later the home burned to the ground and nothing of value was salvaged. A short time later the property was sold to a developer who subdivided the land and called it The Gardens. Today when you

drive along Lake Shore Drive between Fontana and Williams Bay, you pass through the area known as the upper and lower gardens. If you Google Lower Gardens, Fontana WI, you can see the modest homes (by comparison to many of the much larger homes on the lakeshore) that are currently for sale.

Home of Herman Uihlein in Whitefish Bay, WI

On a personal note, I’ve been aware of the Uihlein family for years because of their presence in Milwaukee.  Some of the magnificent homes that other Uihlein family members built at the same time as the Geneva Lake mansion, have been destroyed, but one still stands in Whitefish Bay, WI, a Milwaukee suburb. It also faces a lake—Lake Michigan.

Next month we'll move over to the south shore of the lake and visit the Oaks.

Resource: Lake Geneva; Newport of the West, 1976; Wolfmeyer & Gage

A native of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, author Pamela S. Meyers lives in suburban Chicago with her two rescue cats. Her novels include Thyme for Love and her 1933 historical romance, Love Finds You in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Love is All We Need (the sequel to Thyme for Love) will release soon, and Second Chance Love from Bling!, an imprint of Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas, will release in January 2017. When she isn’t at her laptop writing her latest novel, she can often be found nosing around Wisconsin and other Midwestern spots for new story ideas.

HISTORIC JEFFERSON, TEXAS

By Golden Keyes Parsons

Jefferson, Texas, is located in far East Texas close to the Louisiana border and is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the area. Nearly every building in the main section of town sports an historic marker. In fact, Jefferson boasts of the most registered historic homes in the state. The Caddo Indians originally owned the land. A natural dam

Chamber of Commerce
Jefferson, TX

more than 100 miles long had formed north of Natchitoches, Louisiana, in the Red River causing the Caddo Lake to rise, enough so that major commercial river boats from as far away as St Louis and New Orleans were able to travel inland to Jefferson.

By 1845, steamboats were regularly reaching Jefferson, some with as many as 130 passengers or more aboard. At its high point, it was not unusual for Jefferson to receive upwards of 250 paddle boats per year. By the late 1840s Jefferson had emerged as the leading commercial and distribution in Northeast Texas and the state's chief inland port, second only to Galveston. For more than 30 years, the port of Jefferson served as the primary entry point for settlers, immigrants, and supplies from the east.

House of the Seasons
Jefferson, TX

The historic homes alone in Jefferson are worth the visit--carefully restored and graciously hosted by knowledgeable docents. And the town supports two, yes, to allegedly haunted hotels ... the Jefferson and the longest continuously operating hotel in Texas, the Excelsior House Hotel. We have stayed numerous times in the Excelsior House and enjoyed the sumptuous Southern breakfast the next morning with their signature orange blossom muffins, but the claim that the hotel is haunted is a bit unnerving. I must admit.

Donna Wilson
fineartamerica.com

After Texas voted to secede from the Union, men from Jefferson volunteered for military service in great numbers, pledging their allegiance to the

Confederacy. During the Civil War, Jefferson served as a vital supply point for the South until the Port of New Orleans fell under blockade by Northern naval forces. Jefferson now holds an annual Civil War enactment where the town is resplendent with men in Confederate uniforms with a southern belle on their arms on every street corner. And battle scenes are re-enacted outside of town for interested tourists.

The town had been scheduled for destruction and to be set ablaze by the advancing Northern troops, as had been the eventual fate of many of her sister cities during the last days of the War. Thankfully, Jefferson was spared, aiding its early return to prosperity, even in the wake of Reconstruction. By 1870, it was recorded that over 200 new buildings were in the works. The town reached its peak population just a few years after the Civil War and is reported to have exceeded 30,000. During this time, Jefferson was the sixth largest town in Texas.

However, two events changed the course of Jefferson's future. The railroad which ran from Marshall to Texarkana bypassed Jefferson, and the natural dam was broken up by the US Corps of Engineers deeming it a navigational hazard. Both of those actions changed the commercial face of Jefferson and the population and trade dwindled drastically. Today it is basically a tourist attraction.

Have you ever visited Jefferson, TX? Leave a comment, and I'll send you the recipe for the yummy orange blossom muffins!

Golden Keyes Parsons is a multi-published historical fiction author. Her series, Darkness to Light, (Thomas Nelson) chronicled the journey of her ancestors in 17^th century France and was a finalist for ACFW’s Debut Author of the Year in 2008. Her fourth novel, His Steadfast Love, a Civil War novel, was a National Readers Choice finalist. Parsons has also written a biblical fiction series entitled Hidden Faces, Portraits of Nameless Women in the Gospels (WhiteFire Publishing). Golden lives in Waco, TX, with her husband, Blaine. www.goldenkeyesparsons.com