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Hartford page turners: Must-see literary attractions in Connecticut

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Connecticut is a state with beautiful coastline beaches and dense woodlands, making for a great escape from the hustle and bustle of busy city life. Many literary greats chose to visit often or live here because of the seclusion the state brought them, which helped them create some of their greatest works.

Several of these writers chose Hartford as the place where they crafted some of their finest work. See and learn about how these writers lived, worked and spent their days during their time in Hartford at these must-see literary attractions.

The Mark Twain House & Museum

351 Farmington Avenue

Although Mark Twain was born in Missouri, he lived and worked in his gorgeous Victorian-style mansion in Hartford from 1874-1891, which he and his wife designed. This 25-room house provided plenty of space for Twain and his family to enjoying living in, but it also proved to be a perfect place for him to think and write. He wrote many of his greatest literary works, including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, in his billiards room. See the Tiffany-decorated Mark Twain House & Museum for yourself and learn about the literary legacy of the famous American author Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by his pen name of Mark Twain.

Noah Webster House

227 South Main Street

The Noah Webster House is the birthplace of a man who wrote two very influential American books — Blue-Backed Speller and An American Dictionary of the English Language. The latter is of course his most well-known and read work of art, while the first was written as a grammar book and used by many of the country’s founders to help teach their children how to write, spell and read. Webster’s house is a must-visit as he was a man whom every person who’s studied grammar and spelling, or been in school needing help with word definitions, should be grateful for.

Harriet Beecher Stowe Center

77 Forest Street

Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote and published more than 30 books, but the one putting her on the literary greats map was the renowned anti-slavery book Uncle Tom’s Cabin. She believed her actions and words could be powerful and help make a positive difference in this world. At the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center you learn about her life, her books and how her words did help change our world

Wallace Stevens Walk

690 Asylum Avenue to 118 Westerly Terrace

Wallace Stevens may not be a world-famous name, but he sure made a reputation and name for himself in Hartford. He was a modernist poet who wrote several poems, and he won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1955 with his Collected Poems. Besides being a poet, Stevens was also a Harvard-educated lawyer and worked in the insurance industry. He never learned to drive, so he walked to work every day, sometimes writing his poetry on his walks. The Wallace Stevens Walk takes you on the path he used to follow each day starting at The Hartford and ending at his former home.

Hartford is home to several must-see literary attractions every reader and American history lover can appreciate and learn from. If you’re planning a visit, there are plenty of hotels in or around Hartford that will allow you to get out and visit each of during your time in this popular literary city.

 

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