History of Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse
on Cardiff Hill, Hannibal, Missouri U.S.A.

The Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse stands on Cardiff Hill, overlooking Hannibal, Missouri, Mark Twain's boyhood home town, on the banks of the Mississippi River. It is the furthest inland lighthouse in the world and was first lighted in 1935 by President Franklin Roosevelt from the White House in celebration of Mark Twain's 100th birthday. It was relighted by President Kennedy in 1963, and rededicated and relighted by President Clinton in 1994. In 2001, the lighthouse is undergoing additional renovation through grants from the National Park Service and the Missouri Division of State Parks. The lighthouse's beacon serves to remind visitors from around the world of the spirit of adventure chronicled in Mark Twain's books. This spirit was brought to life in Twain's characters Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, and Becky Thatcher.