Traveling with Twain

In Search of America's Identity

Posts by Alyssa Karas (view all)

Meet Big Mama, the mayor of Hopeville

For obvious reasons it’s hard to find a homeless city. No address. Hopeville, one of the three largest homeless camps in St. Louis, comes with nothing more than “north of The Arch, next to the river.” … Read more >>

Attorney and amateur historian examines Hannibal’s slaveholding past

Hannibal, Mo., cheerily announces its intentions before you reach the downtown area. “America’s Hometown.” It’s written on a stout, sky-blue water tower that looms over Highway 61, one of the tallest structures in Hannibal. Terrell Dempsey, … Read more >>

Hannibal exhibits ‘invisible’ black population

In some ways the Hannibal, Mo., that Faye Dant, 62, grew up in no longer exists. Dant remembers when schools in Hannibal were still segregated. Around town, there was an unspoken knowledge of the places where … Read more >>

Mississippi Sunset

View from the upper deck of the Mark Twain Riverboat.

An archaeological dig at the Quarles farmstead

Finding archaeologist Karen Hunt is kind of a hassle. She’s hidden, sort of like the artifacts she and volunteers dig for during September weekends at the Mark Twain Archaeology Dig. It’s home to the former farmstead … Read more >>