Get a Clue at the Mark Twain House

'Get A Clue' Tour: A Live-Action Mystery Adventure at The Mark Twain House & Museum Unfolds March 22 and 23.

Someone has killed "Pap" Finn!  Was it Tom Sawyer in the Library with the Wrench?  Could it be the Connecticut Yankee in the Billiard Room with the Knife? Or was it the Pauper in the Kitchen with the Rope? 
In a parody inspired by the classic Parker Brothers/Hasbro game CLUE, a full-fledged murder mystery is laid out for visitors to solve during The Mark Twain House & Museum's new "Get a Clue" Tour, Thursday, March 22, and Friday, March 23. 
The game's organizers noticed that many of the rooms in the Mark Twain House are the same as the ones on the iconic board game: The Hall, the Dining Room and other opulent chambers become possible murder scenes in this classic challenge of deductive reasoning and detective skill. 

In a special one-hour tour, participants will be able to make accusations and figure out who sent Pap -- Huckleberry Finn's drunken, abusive father -- to his doom, where he was dispatched, and what was used to dispose of the scoundrel.  Visitors will solve the mystery, laugh a lot, and save the day.

Members of Hartford's beloved, hilarious Sea Tea Improv comedy troupe portray the suspects, who are based on famous literary characters Twain created in the very house where the mystery unfolds.

The "Get a Clue" tours will be held March 22 and 23 from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Tours depart every twenty minutes and must be reserved in advance.

Tickets are $22; $20 for members. Reservations are required! Call 860-280-3130.


'Hateful Things' Opens March 29, Joins Exhibit on Mark Twain's Attitudes Toward Race; Films, Lectures, Plays Planned
"Mammy" tobacco tins, a sign reading "No Niggers No Jews No Dogs," comic books pushing black stereotypes -- and everywhere grinning black faces, their features distorted and exaggerated.

Such is the brutal imagery of the racism that permeated American popular culture for many decades -- and which is portrayed in "Hateful Things," a new exhibit at The Mark Twain House & Museum. It's part of "Race, Rage and Redemption," a series of exhibitions and films, lectures and plays on the racial divide in America.

The "Hateful Things" exhibit is made up of artifacts and imagery from the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia at Ferris State University in Michigan, augmented by other items borrowed from private owners and the museum's collections. The items explore one of the most brutal chapters of American history and the effect of slavery on our national consciousness.

The opening reception for "Race, Rage and Redemption" will be held Thursday, March 29, from 5:30 to 7 pm. The event, which is free, will be followed by a performance of Harriet Tubman's Dream, a one-woman show dramatizing the life of Tubman, a heroine of the Underground Railroad.  Though the reception is free, RSVPs are requested.  Please call Nancy Honore at 860-280-3112.

The exhibits run through Sept. 3.

Please note: These exhibitions contain inflammatory and upsetting imagery and language. Parental discretion is advised.
The Connecticut Freedom Trail Planning Committee has voted to include the Mark Twain House in its prestigious list of sites deeply important to the history of African Americans in Connecticut.The Mark Twain House & Museum (www.marktwainhouse.org)