Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse - Hannibal, Missouri
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 39° 42.864 W 091° 21.541
15S E 640659 N 4397346
Lighthouse located high above Hannibal, Missouri on Cardiff Hill.
Waymark Code: WMDQYH
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 02/16/2012
Views: 7
The MARK TWAIN MEMORIAL LIGHTHOUSE, N. end of N. Main Street, atop "Cardiff Hill," rises 54 feet above its base and nearly 200 feet above the Mississippi River. It is of metal framework covered with sheet iron and plywood, and is surmounted by a fixed beacon. The lighthouse was dedicated from Washington, D.C., by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, when he opened the Mark Twain Centennial Celebration in January, 1935. The hilltop, easily accessible, affords an excellent view of the river and surrounding lands. The "Cardiff Hill" of the stories is in reality Holliday's Hill, named for a Mrs. Holliday who once lived at the top, and burned a lamp in her window every night as a guide for the river pilots. It was down this hill that the boys rolled the stones which startled churchgoers, and that final enormous rock which, by freak of fortune, hurdled a Negro and his wagon instead of crushing them. - Missouri: A Guide to the "Show-Me" State, Hannibal section, pg.223.
The Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse was originally built in 1935 not as an aid to navigation but to shine light over the year-long festivities surrounding celebration of Mark Twain's birthday. The lighthouse was originally lit by President Franklin D. Roosevelt from the White House. The lighthouse was rebuilt in the 1960's and rededicated by President Kennedy. The lighthouse was refurbished in 1994 and rededicated by President Clinton. The lighthouse continues to shine but as it has from its beginning not as an aid to navigation but as a memorial to the great author.