Hannibal, Missouri

Hannibal, Missouri
—  City  —
Mark Twain's boyhood home in Hannibal, Missouri.
Nickname(s): Louisville of the West; America's Hometown
Location in Missouri
Coordinates: 39°42′15″N 91°22′39″W / 39.70417°N 91.3775°W / 39.70417; -91.3775Coordinates: 39°42′15″N 91°22′39″W / 39.70417°N 91.3775°W / 39.70417; -91.3775
Country	United States
State	Missouri
Counties	Marion, Ralls
Government
– Mayor
Area
– Total	15.1 sq mi (39.1 km2)
– Land	14.6 sq mi (37.8 km2)
– Water	0.5 sq mi (1.2 km2)
Elevation	502 ft (153 m)
Population (2012)
– Total	17,606
– Density	1,215.2/sq mi (469.2/km2)
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
– Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	63401
Area code(s)	573
FIPS code	29-30214[1]
GNIS feature ID	0735640[2]

For the song, see Hannibal, Mo(Zour-Ee).

Hannibal is a city in Marion and Ralls counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. Hannibal is located at the intersection of Interstate 72 and U.S. Routes 24, 36 and 61, approximately 100 miles (160 km) northwest of St. Louis. According to the 2010 U.S. Census the population was 17,606. The Hannibal Micropolitan Statistical Area is composed of Marion and Ralls Counties.

Transportation

Interstate 72 was extended into Hannibal across the Mark Twain Memorial Bridge in 2000. Interstate 72 extends west to the intersection with U.S. Route 61. Future plans call for extending Interstate 72 west along U.S. Route 36 to Cameron, MO giving Hannibal an east-west link connecting Kansas City to Springfield, IL. U.S. Route 61 connects to Saint Louis to the south and is part of the Avenue of the Saints corridor that links to Saint Paul, MN.

Hannibal Regional Airport, (formerly Hannibal Municipal Airport) was named William P. Lear Field in 2003 in honor of the inventor of the Lear Jet. The airport is located 4 miles (6.4 km) west of the southern area and has one runway 4,400' x 100'.

Freight railroad tracks link Hannibal in all directions: Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) tracks lead north to the Quad Cities and south to Saint Louis. Norfolk Southern (NS) tracks lead west to Kansas City and east to Springfield, IL.^[3]

History and landmarks

Hannibal, Missouri

The site of Hannibal was previously occupied by early settlers and Native American tribes. It was laid out as a town in 1819 by Moses Bates.^[4] Its origin goes back to Spanish land grants, which gave rise to much litigation.^[5] Although the city initially grew slowly to a population of only 30 by 1830, access to Mississippi river and railroad transportation fueled growth to 2,020 by 1850. The town of South Hannibal was annexed to it in 1843.^[5] Hannibal had gained "city" status by 1845.^[4] The city served as a bustling regional marketing center for livestock and grain as well as other products produced locally, such as cement and shoes, throughout the remainder of the 19th century and on to the present time.^[6]

Cement for the Empire State Building and Panama Canal was created at the Atlas Portland Cement Company in the nearby unincorporated company town of Ilasco.^[7]

Hannibal was Missouri's third largest city when the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad was organized in 1846 in the offices of John M. Clemens (Mark Twain's father).^[8] It connected to the state's then second largest city (St. Joseph, Missouri) and was the furthest west railroad before the Transcontinental Railroad and was used to deliver mail to the Pony Express.

The community is best known as the boyhood home of author Mark Twain and as the setting of his The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, with numerous historical sites related to Mark Twain and sites depicted in his fiction. Hannibal draws both American and international tourists. Most Hannibal residents enjoy the visitors and the town at large enjoys much success through tourist revenue.^[9]

The town has other distinctions as well. In the Broadway musical Damn Yankees, Hannibal was the hometown of the protagonist’s assumed persona (Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, MO). Hannibal was also the birthplace of singer and actor Cliff Edwards ("Ukelele Ike") and 'The Unsinkable Molly' Brown. Other natives include inventor Bill Lear and NBA basketball coach Cotton Fitzsimmons. The Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse was constructed in 1933 and has been lit at three separate times by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, President John F. Kennedy, and President Bill Clinton. Rockcliffe Mansion sits upon a knoll in Hannibal, is listed on the National Register of Historic places.

The community is also supposed to be the home of Col. Sherman T. Potter from the television show M*A*S*H (TV series).

Geography

Hannibal is located at 39°42′15″N 91°22′39″W / 39.704065°N 91.377378°W / 39.704065; -91.377378 (39.704065, -91.377378).^[10] It is next to the Mississippi River. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.1 square miles (39.1 km²), of which, 14.6 square miles (37.8 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.2 km²) of it (3.12%) is water.

The Mississippi River at Hannibal, Missouri

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2010, there were 17,606 people, 7,017 households, and 4,554 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,215.3 people per square mile (469.3/km²). There were 7,886 housing units at an average density of 539.7 per square mile (208.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.61% White, 6.57% African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.25% from other races, and 1.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.13% of the population. 25.9% were of American, 23.8% German, 10.9% Irish and 10.0% English ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 7,017 households out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.0% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 86.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,892, and the median income for a family was $37,264. Males had a median income of $30,677 versus $20,828 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,902. About 11.3% of families and 14.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.2% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The view from Lover's Leap of Hannibal and the Mississippi River

Hannibal High School was founded in 1896.^[11] The current building was erected in 1932. As of 2004^[update] the current enrollment is 1232 ninth through twelfth graders. The athletic teams are named the "Pirates" and play in the North Central Missouri Conference of the Missouri State High School Sports Association. As of 2008 the principal is Ryan Sharkey. The school has Future Teachers of America, Young Democrats, Future Farmers of America, DECA, Key Club, and Natural Helpers (a peer helping group) as well as a wide array of other clubs.

Hannibal-LaGrange University is a four-year, Christian liberal arts University accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Founded in 1858 in LaGrange, Missouri, the campus moved downriver to Hannibal in 1928. Dr. Woodrow Burt was elected the 16th president of Hannibal-LaGrange College on February 10, 1995.

MACC Hannibal Area Higher Education Center is a two year community college established in 1999. The MACC-Hannibal Campus is located on Jaycee Drive in a building formerly used by AT&T. However, plans are in place to build a full-size campus bordering to the Hannibal Regional Hospital complex.

Law and government

City police service is provided by the Hannibal Police Department.

Famous Hannibal residents

• Jake Beckley, major league baseball player^[12]
• James Carroll Beckwith
• Margaret Brown, passenger on the RMS Titanic, the unsinkable Molly Brown.
• Robert Coontz
• Cliff Edwards, the voice of Disney’s Jiminy Cricket
• Harry Richard Landis, one of the last surviving World War I veterans was born near Hannibal.
• John Wingate Broadcaster, writer, and communications consultant.
• George Poage
• Benjamin Prentiss
• Scott Sanders, baseball player
• Larry Thompson was born and raised in Hannibal, Deputy Attorney General of the United States under President George W Bush
• Mark Twain (Samuel L. Clemens)
• William P Lear inventor of car radio and manufacturer of the Learjet
• Blanche Bruce, politician
• Lester Gaba, Sculptor, writer and retail display designer.
• Ron Powers, author

Fictional Hannibal residents

• Sherman T. Potter, character in the TV series M*A*S*H.
• Allison (Liberty Maid) from Josh and S.A.M., 1993 film about two runaway boys fleeing to Canada.
• Joe Hardy, from the musical, Damn Yankees. A popular song from the musical was called, "Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, Mo"
• Joyce Palmieri from the movie Kindergarten Cop

Attractions

Mark Twain's boyhood home is open to the public

• Riverview Park - 465 acres (1.88 km²) of wooded land and scenic views of the Riverfront.
• Mark Twain Memorial Lighthouse - The only lighthouse built inland features a panoramic view of Hannibal and the Mississippi River. 244 steps to the top.
• Mark Twain Cave - The real-life cave that inspired Twain's tale of a lost Tom & Becky.
• Cameron Cave
• John Garth’s Woodside Mansion ^[13]
• Tom & Becky Appearances - Local children are chosen to portray the famous literary couple in local appearances and in downtown Hannibal every saturday and Sunday from March to October.
• Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum Properties
• Mark Twain Mississippi Riverboat
• Rockcliffe Mansion - A turn of the century mansion.
• Molly Brown Birthplace & Museum Home of RMS Titanic survivor.
• Sawyer’s Creek Fun Park - Amusement complex on the riverfront.
• Hannibal Rocks Offroad Park: Hannibal Rocks
• Hannibal Cavemen - Prospect League baseball team. Plays at historic renovated Clemens Field downtown. Summer only.

Gallery

• 

  The home of the girl who inspired Becky Thatcher.

• 

  The Mississippi River viewed from Cardiff Hill in Hannibal, Missouri.

• 

  The office of John Clemens, Mark Twain's father, who was the Justice of the Peace.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ http://www.modot.org/othertransportation/rail/documents/rail_freight_101807.pdf | MoDOT Freight Railroad Map
4. ^ ^{a b} Hannibal Convention & Visitors Bureau
5. ^ ^{a b}  Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). "Hannibal (Missouri)". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 
6. ^ Parts http://www.hanmo.com/history.html
7. ^ http://digital.hannibal.lib.mo.us/ilasco/ilasco.htm
8. ^ http://www.abandonedrails.com/Hannibal_and_Saint_Joseph_Railroad
9. ^ Reported to be 3rd major source of city revenue. Agriculture and industry first and second respectively.
10. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
11. ^ http://www.hannibal.k12.mo.us/k12/hhs/index.html
12. ^ Reichler, Joseph L., ed (1979) [1969]. The Baseball Encyclopedia (4th edition ed.). New York: Macmillan Publishing. ISBN 0-02-578970-8. 
13. ^ Ralls County Historical

External links

• City Website
• Hannibal, Missouri Photographs from the Western Historical Manuscript Collection at the University of Missouri–St. Louis
• A visit to Mark Twain's Hannibal, Mo. - video & article by The LA Times
• Historic maps of Hannibal in the Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collection at the University of Missouri