Facelift planned for Becky Thatcher Home

HANNIBAL, Mo. (AP) -- Plans are in the works for a $1.3 million upgrade of the Becky Thatcher home in Hannibal.

Renovations are also planned for two other popular tourist stops in Mark Twain's hometown -- the justice of the peace office where Twain's father worked and Grant's Drug Store.

The two-story Thatcher home is across the street from Twain's boyhood home. Becky Thatcher was a fictional character in Twain's work, but based on a real childhood friend.

The house has numerous problems. The roof is rotting, floorboards are bowed, the foundation is crumbling, framing is cracked and there's little insulation.

Funding will come from a $400,000 federal grant and donations.

The goal is to have the work done by the 100th anniversary of Twain's death in 2010.

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Information from: Hannibal Courier-Post, http://www.hannibal.net