In the premises of the old house was first a private school, and then a profit house. However, a group of local enthusiasts, who realized the cultural value of the building, decided to preserve the house for future generations.

In 1929, the Mark Twain Memorial Society and the Connecticut Library Commission purchased the old house and subsequently undertook extensive restoration work. With the help of local residents, the new owners of the building restored the interior of the famous writer’s home as accurately as possible.

For quite a long time, a large number of personal belongings of Mark Twain, archival materials, as well as furniture that was once in the house of the famous writer were collected. This made it possible to officially open the Mark Twain House-Museum in 1981.

It should be noted that the museum exposition, which has more than ten thousand exhibits, is replenished with new copies and nowadays. Visitors can see within the walls of this cultural institution a lot of interesting things, among them a three-ton machine with the name “Paige typesetter”, which once bankrupted Twain’s company.

In the house-museum you can see a billiard table, where the great writer liked to play in his free time, as well as a large collection of dishes produced by the company “Tiffany”. The beautiful wooden bed, which was located in the writer’s bedroom, also attracts visitors’ interest.

But, of course, the most fascinating part of the museum is Mark Twain’s library, where you can see his manuscripts, personal photos, as well as rare books that belonged to the writer. There is a tradition that businessmen and representatives of various non-profit organizations often meet for business meetings within the walls of this amazing institution.

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Perhaps this feeling is due to the main current “tenants” of the mansion – cats, which only by rough estimates live here about 50. Cats were the favorite animals of the great writer, when he was alive, he kept in his mansion about 80 cats. Reportedly, the initiator of the purchase of the mansion was the writer’s third wife, Martha Gellhorn. Subsequently, Hemingway liked the house so much that for the last 20 years of his life he never wanted to change his home again.

Some of the most valuable exhibits of the museum are hunting trophies, which the writer brought from Africa, and in the library among 9,000 books you can find many unique editions and manuscripts. The museum was opened in 1962, and the atmosphere in it corresponds as much as possible to that which reigned here during the life of the owners. Recently, the mansion, which once belonged to the great writer, is available for wedding ceremonies. The Marina Hemingway Hotel was opened near the mansion especially for numerous tourists.

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The house was modern, built in 1832, quite usual for rich people of that time. 5 stories, including a basement and attic. Treadwell had a family, a wife and 8 children, in addition, the couple kept 4 maids at all times.

The back entrance was used by the servants to pass through to the kitchen, to carry water, firewood, and ice. From here they went out to the courtyard, which was used mainly for household needs, such as bleaching linen. There was no garden as there is now; the family’s aesthetic needs for flowers were met in the summer by going to another house in New Jersey.

This is the only house museum in Manhattan that was left as it was under the owners, changing almost nothing.

Mostly reflecting the atmosphere of how the house looked before 1850, when renovations were made and furniture was rearranged. The founder of the museum tried so hard that furniture bought after 1850 was taken and sold. However, in the aftermath, the furniture returned, similar to the furniture that was sold. In particular, the Rococo sofa and chairs, pictured below, returned to the living room.

The drawing room was divided into two halves, with the front receiving guests and the back hosting family gatherings. There were 2 Greek style columns in the center of the room, and there was also a sliding door that opened for large parties. If there was a dance, the furniture was moved around. Sometimes it was moved out into the hallway, such as during a ball.

On the second floor are the matrimonial bedrooms. Traditionally, the bedrooms were separate. They also served as rooms for changing clothes, including for guests when necessary. Dinners could be eaten here and close relatives could be received here. In addition, bedrooms were used for bathing, childbirth, and caring for newborns. It was bad form to go outside for the first month after childbirth. It was customary to keep cribs in the women’s bedrooms for sick children. In Eliza’s bedroom stands one such baby bed.

If a person died, they said goodbye in the bedroom. On a bed in his bedroom in 1865, Seabury Treadwell passed away. He lived 85 years and died of kidney failure.

There was no water faucet or toilet until 1850. The toilet was disguised as a chest.

The basement floor had an advantage during the winter. The low ceiling on the floor helped keep the heat in and there was a kitchen there, which provided warmth. On the floor was the “family” room where meals were eaten. After dinner, the table was cleaned up and the children played. It was also a tradition in the Treadwell family to gather in this room and read aloud, read by the father.

Although Treadwell could have bought a cast iron stove when they bought the house, the family preferred to use the old “fireplace” stove. It was believed that bread was much tastier in it than in a cast iron oven.

Also, the house has a collection of personal belongings and clothing, there are children’s bedrooms on the 4th floor, and a servant lived in the attic. Interestingly, the family favored maids from Ireland, the maids changed constantly, but were always Irish.

In 1933, the last resident of the house died. Her cousin decided to turn the house into a museum. The museum opened its doors in 1936.

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