Mark Twain three of his siblings survived childhood: Orion (1825–1897), Henry (1838–1858), and Pamela (1827–1904). His sister Margaret (1830–1839) died when Twain was three, and his brother Benjamin (1832–1842) died three years later. His brother Pleasant Hannibal (1828) died at three weeks of age. When he was four, Twain's family moved to Hannibal, Missouri, a port town on the Mississippi River that inspired the fictional town of St. Petersburg in "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and the "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn". Slavery was legal in Missouri at the time, and it became a theme in these writings. His father was an attorney
Mark Twain State Park Mark Twain State Park Mark Twain State Park is a public recreation area encompassing on Mark Twain Lake in Monroe County, Missouri. The state park offers water recreation, hiking trails, and campgrounds. It is adjacent to the Mark Twain Birthplace State Historic Site. The Mark Twain State Park Picnic Shelter at Buzzard's Roost is a historic picnic shelter located at Mark Twain State Park. The shelter was built about 1941 by an all African-American Civilian Conservation Corps company. The shelter is constructed of stone in a rustic style. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.