Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn Statue Poses Danger to Tourists in Mo.

The statue of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn that overlooks the Hannibal, Missouri historic district will be off limits to tourists until the foundation that holds the statue is replaced.

An engineering company and the insurance company that insures the statue has determined the foundation for the statue of the boys made famous in Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” is unsound. Plans call for the statue to be removed while the old foundation is torn out, said Dena Ellis, finance and office manager for the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum. When the work will happen hasn’t been determined.

Until then, barricades will keep visitors away from the foundation on Cardiff Hill at the foot of Main Street. Plans also call for the wall behind and above the statue to be replaced.

The bronze statue is part of the historic area in the town made famous by Twain, who as Samuel Clemens moved to Hannibal as a young boy and based many of his works in the northeast Missouri town. About a half million people visit Hannibal each year.

Museum officials received a report last month from Alan Lukens of Klingner & Associates. The report included photos showing concrete crumbling in several spots. The foundation for the statue was built in 1925, when the statue was new. Stucco was added about a decade ago, and is also cracked.

Ellis said that last year, the museum’s insurance carrier said the statue area needed repairs, including construction of a handrail.

The Mark Twain Home Board must still approve a repair plan, after museum officials consult with the engineering firm and officials from a local cement company, Continental Cement. One plan under consideration calls for an area of natural stones with the statue sitting in the middle. That plan would include steps and a wheelchair ramp.

The statue is in an area owned by the city and maintained by the Mark Twain Home Foundation.

Topics Missouri