May 20 - 24, 2024 - Carri-Yals RV Rally in Hannibal, Missouri

We were only home a few days from Greece when we headed to Hannibal, Missouri, for an RV club campout/rally, from the 20th to the 24th of May. On Monday we had a beautiful day for the 185 mile drive from Perryville to Hannibal.

Monday:

Here is a picture of our five rigs at the campground. The motorhome in the middle is the only rig that was not part of our club. Homer, in the number two slot, looks a little lost among the larger campers but he doesn't mind.

Our hosts, Jim and Bev, provided a supper of sloppy joes, baked beans, chips and dessert. All yummy.

Tuesday:

In the morning we headed to the "Mark Twain Interpretive Center" to begin a walking tour of Mark Twain's boyhood home and historical buildings. This is where Mark Twain lived as a boy. This area provided him with inspiration for the characters in his books. Here is a picture of the area. Upstairs in the building on the left is where young Sam Clemens (Mark Twain) lived after his father died.

At eleven years old, to help support the family, young Sam went to work in a print shop across the street from his home. 

The walking tour of the buildings ended with a walk through the "Mark Twain Museum" a block away. It housed many displays of life back when Hannibal was a major river town and commercial stop on the Mississippi River. 

We had lunch at the "Mark Twain Dinette" up the street, which is known for its home-made root beer, and then an ice cream at "Becky's Ice Cream Parlor" nearby.

Walking and driving around town over a couple of days I was impressed by the number of old buildings they have been able to keep occupied and in great shape. They are painted in many different colors. I didn't remember this the last time we were here about twelve years ago.

After lunch we headed back to the campground. Before arriving there we drove up to "Lovers Leap" which was nearby. The view of the river valley from there was incredible. Many enjoyed checking out all of the locks on the fence and on the hearts put on by lovers. 

The projecting rock is the actual "Lovers Leap" rock, which is named for an Indian couple who are believed to have jumped from there.

The spot provided a great backdrop for a group picture for club memories.

After resting up a bit at the campground it was time to head out for a nice supper at Fiddlesticks, a large restaurant on the edge of town. I ordered shrimp scampi and couldn't eat it all. A take home box was in order.

Wednesday:

First thing in the morning we took a Trolley Tour of Hannibal which originated at the campground. Our driver constantly filled us with facts about Hannibal. We drove down "Million Dollar Row" where people with money lived back in the day. Here are a couple of pictures of the homes. All were very stately.

At the end of the street the driver stopped to point out to us the "Labinnah Social Club Building", which is just a few blocks up from the river. In the steamship days when passengers disembarked in strange towns they didn't know a safe place to go for food and shelter. The custom along the river was to name a building, which was a safe place, the name of the city spelled backwards, thus Labinnah. The building is a cafe today.

 

After touring the town the driver headed out of town to "Riverside Park" high up on the bluff. The park is 300 plus acres which were donated to the city with the condition that it never be used for anything but a park. The view of the river from this bluff was so picturesque.

After the trolley tour we had lunch at "Becky Thatcher's Diner". It is a small, quaint establishment that gives you the feeling of stepping back into a 1950s diner. Here is a picture of the diner and our group getting ready to order food.

From the diner we headed to the campground to see the "Mark Twain Live Show" in the theater. The gentleman did a wonderful job telling a Mark Twain story which lasted right at an hour.

After chilling our for a couple of hours we headed to supper at the "Brick Oven", which is known for wonderful oven-baked pizzas. Kelly got a small pizza which she said was quite good. I ordered "Meat Ravioli in Sauce". It was great. Nothing was left on my plate.

Thursday:

Our hosts provided a variety of donuts from a local donut shop for breakfast. I had two different ones and one was better than the other. We then had a quick club meeting and dispersed until going back to town for lunch at Cassano's Pizza and Subs. Everyone was pleased with the meal there as well. 

From the restaurant we headed for a tour of the "Rockcliffe Mansion", on a high hill in Hannibal. The home was built by a wealthy lumber dealer. It took from 1898 to 1901 to build it. Before building the home he had the house that was located on the spot he wanted moved next door. Here is a picture. The house in the background was moved to make room for the new mansion. It was no small feat to move a large house back in those days. We were told that they did it by rolling the house on logs to its new location.

The Rockcliffe Mansion is an impressive structure which is in terrible condition on the outside. When the gentleman who built it died many years ago, his wife moved in next door with her daughter. She left everything in the house, including the family's clothes. It sat empty and neglected for forty years.

During its long period of neglect at times kids broke in and damaged some areas of the house but luckily the damage was limited. Here are some pictures of the inside. All of the woodwork and fireplace mantels were mahogany and each fireplace surround was Italian marble.

The kitchen had a state of the art stove. The table in the kitchen was for the servants to eat at.

The furniture in the bedrooms upstairs was all mahogany as well as the fireplaces.

This is the linen closet on the second floor. Every door and drawer opens and closes as if new. You couldn't buy wood like that today for any price.

The lady of the house had all the woodwork and fireplace mantels in her and the children's rooms painted white to make the rooms brighter.

The home was electrified and had central heat with each room being individually regulated by a thermostat. Quite sophisticated for that day and age.

The bathrooms were state of the art and this tub/shower had a mixing tank to regulate the hot and cold water going to the showerhead.

Other bathroom fixtures were the best money could buy at the time.

This is the library, again all mahogany, and with the original embossed wallpaper. Look at the size of the crown moulding!

This is what an electric plug looked like in 1898. It was the size of a match box with a prong on each side separated by a massive insulator. It still works.

The third floor had a ballroom and bedrooms for the servants. The ballroom was quite large, had a raised area in the corner for the band to sit on, and an alcove with a fainting couch for the ladies.

The family used the ballroom as a game room and play room.

Here is a picture of one of the servants bedrooms. Not shabby by any means. this bed has been added. The servants would have slept in twin beds lining the walls. Thee servants not only had their own bathroom but also had a sink in the room so more could wash up at a time.

These bedrooms are now used as a B & B for much needed income.

Our tour guide was Juan, who has owned the building for the last twelve years. We thanked him for saving it from further deterioration. It was quite fascinating to see how the rich lived in 1900. The house with furnishings cost $250,000 in 1898. I can't imagine what it would cost today. What do you think this Tiffany stained glass window on the stair landing alone is worth?

Heading again toward the campground Jim turned onto the road that led to the old "Riverside Cemetery" high up on the hill.

  

It was a very, very rough road up to the top with a couple of switchbacks. There were many old graves and a Jewish section which was fenced off.

Of course being up on the bluff there was a nice view of the river valley below. A beautiful final resting place for many.

After all touring was done we had dinner back at the campground. We roasted hot dogs and complimented them with backed beans, chips, and ice cream for dessert, all furnished by our hosts. As the mosquitoes started biting we all bid each other farewell and went into our campers. 

Friday:

Each rig pulled out on its own schedule. We headed out early to avoid some incoming rain. We had a marvelous time and were blessed with good weather the entire week. Our next outing will be in June at a Corps of Engineers campground at Lake Shelbyville, Illinois. We are looking forward to it. A great bunch of people to share time with.