jim's journey: the huck finn freedom center

I was tickled to find Jim's Journey when I was researching what Hannibal had to offer -- but then dismayed to see that it wouldn't be open during our visit. I emailed the organization, and founding director Faye Dant offered to open the museum for a private tour. Both my ten-year-old daughter and I thoroughly enjoyed it!The exhibit is grounded in Mark Twain's narrative of Jim, personalizing it in the fictional Jim's historical counterpart, Daniel Quarles. From there, the story of real African Americans in Hannibal expands through newspaper accounts, photographs, and other memorabilia.My daughter connected primarily through the hands-on exhibits -- such as a stereoscope viewer with three-dimensional images of slaves -- and I was fascinated by account after account of the extraordinary lives of real people. Jim's Journey fills a glaring gap in the Hannibal experience and in the American experience.

It was a great experience, we learned much more about Samuel Clemens and his position on civil rights as well as his thoughts on Daniel Quarles and African American life in Hannibal.