Mark Twain
Pershing County, Pershing County, Nevada
Marker Inscription
Reunion In Unionville. Across the road and down about 300 feet was the original Unionville School. Built in 1862, this adobe building was the first public structure in Humboldt County. Used by such organizations as the Union League, Knights of the Golden Circle, the Free Masons, and the Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus, it served the community until its demolition in 1871.Exactly 109 years later, members of the E.C.V. gathered here to hold a reunion in commemoration of this propitious event. To the rear of this marker is the site where Samuel Clemens allegedly lived briefly before going to Virginia City in 1862 and taking the name Mark Twain.
Erected by State Historic Preservation Ocejulia C. Bulette Chaptere Clampus Vitus
The Story
Near this spot stood the original Unionville School, an adobe building raised in 1862 as the first public structure in Humboldt County and used by fraternal groups from the Free Masons to E Clampus Vitus until its demolition in 1871. Just to the rear is the site where Samuel Clemens is said to have lived briefly in 1862 before moving on to Virginia City — where, writing for a newspaper, he adopted the pen name Mark Twain. The marker was dedicated at a 1980 reunion commemorating the old schoolhouse.
Why it matters
It ties Nevada's mining frontier to the birth of America's most beloved literary voice, marking the rough country where young Sam Clemens began the road to becoming Mark Twain.
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Related people
- · Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain)
Themes & tags
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