Harriet Beecher Stowe and Mark Twain were neighbors.

In the posh 19th century neighborhood of Nook Farm in what was then the most affluent town in eastern United States, Hartford, Connecticut, both Harriet Beecher Stowe and Mark Twain built their dream homes – literally next door to each other. The two houses have been restored and serve as magical museums of their literary times. Each house offers frequent tours, but on weekends it is possible to enjoy a 90-minute joint tour of the beautiful homes.

Beginning in 1864, the Stowe made a villa in Hartford, Connecticut's Nook Farm area their home. Mark Twain and other notable residents lived nearby. Few fences surrounded the houses in Nook Farm, and in nice weather, doors were left open. In his book, Twain spoke about Stowe's later years, when it seems likely that she suffered from dementia:

“Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe who was a near neighbor of ours in Hartford, with no fence between. In those days she made as much use of our grounds as of her own in pleasant weather. Her mind had decayed, and she was a pathetic figure. She wandered about all day long in the care of a muscular Irishwoman, assigned to her as a guardian.”