The Mark Twain House & Museum Collection Preservation Project

FAIN: PG-258373-18

Mark Twain Memorial (Hartford, CT 06105-6400)
Tracy Brindle (Project Director: May 2017 to June 2019)

Purchase of environmental monitoring equipment and rehousing supplies for a collection of museum artifacts and rare and valuable books associated with Mark Twain and that document his life and America’s literary and cultural history. The home, located in Hartford, Connecticut, is a National Historic Landmark. Some 6,000 objects are on display, with highlights including Twain’s billiard table and an elaborately carved bed that he purchased in Venice in 1878. Archival boxes would be used to house books from Twain’s personal library.  Collections are viewed by 65,000 visitors each year, while the research library has supported research, educational programming, exhibits, documentary films, and the creation of new scholarly editions of Twain’s work.

The project encompasses the purchase of data loggers, to monitor environmental conditions in the landmark Mark Twain House, and archival storage boxes for books in the museum’s collections. The House was Twain’s home from 1874 to 1891. It has been meticulously restored, and furnished with thousands of period artifacts, including many objects that belonged to Twain and his family. The data loggers will allow the monitoring of the specific conditions in each room in which historic artifacts are displayed. The storage boxes will house rare and valuable books, including books from Twain’s personal library, some of which contain his marginalia, as well as books that belonged to, were authored by, or inscribed by, individuals who were significant to his life and work. The objects to be preserved through this project are irreplaceable artifacts of America’s literary history and culture, which provide unique and valuable insight into Mark Twain, his work, his era, and his enduring legacy.