Rockcliffe Mansion, Hannibal, Missouri.Photo bySmallbones, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

In 1898, a descendant of Scottish immigrants, John J. Cruikshank, Jr. had the Rockcliffe Mansion built at 1000 Bird Street in Hannibal, Missouri. The house is located in the Maple Avenue Historic District and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 18, 1980. The house is referred to as the Rockcliffe Mansion or the J. J. Cruikshank, Jr. residence.

This 13,500-square-foot residence was designed by the St. Louis firm of Barnett, Haynes & Barnett. This firm also designed the Governor's Mansion in Jefferson City, Missouri. Cruikshank and his family were able to move into their home in 1900.

After Cruikshank died in 1924, the family moved out. Nobody moved in. The house was vacant for 43 years except for a caretaker family who lived there for several years.

The mansion's parlor.Photo byRockcliffemansion, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

In 1967, Rockcliffe was purchased by private individuals who had planned to have the residence razed in the beginning, but with help from the heirs of the Cruikshank family, they were able to restore the interior. Some original furnishings and other items were returned by a Cruikshank descendant.

Interestingly, Rockcliffe is open to the public for tours or special events. Bed and Breakfast accommodations are available too. Seeing original furniture, lighting fixtures, wall coverings, and other personal items of the Cruikshank family can transport you back in time. Restoring the mansion to its original state of the early 1900s must have been a fulfilling and yet tedious task.

Photo byFacebook/Rockcliffe Mansion.

Some backstory

This massive brick house with its white trim sits on top of a steep hill overlooking Hannibal and the Mississippi Hiver. The south front of the house has a two-story portico with paired Corinthian columns and a covered second-floor balcony. There is a large rectangular cupola on top that is locally referred to as an observatory.

The east side of the house contains a one-story porte-cochere on paired Tuscan columns, and there's a one-story porch extending across the west side.

Inside the home, it's very detailed. There is a center-hall staircase leading up to a large round stained glass window. It then separates into two returning flights of stairs. The newel posts are equipped for gas or electricity fixtures.

Example of the ornate detail on the second-floor balcony columns.Photo byNRHP Nomination form.

The hall and reception room are paneled in oak. The library and dining room are paneled in mahogany. All of the fireplaces are different. At the time the house was nominated for the National Register, all main rooms had original wallpaper, including two rooms containing Japanese leather.

There's a lot of original furniture in the house which also contains original fittings in some of the rooms. There are rooms in the northwest corner of the basement, second, and third floors that contain an apartment for the caretaker.

The Rockcliffe house is a fine example of the architectural style of Georgian Revival (Cruikshank, Jr. was a lumber baron). It's also a symbol of the lumber industry giving Hannibal its wealth after the Civil War. Before that, in 1856, John J. Cruikshank, Sr. relocated his lumber business from Alton, Illinois to Hannibal. Logs would come down the Mississippi River from Minnesota and Wisconsin and transported by railroads.

Spectacular view of Rockcliffe.Photo byFacebook/Rockcliffe Mansion.

In 1864, J. J. Cruikshank, Jr. took over his father's role as head of their company. By 1883, his worth was nearly half a million dollars which is saying a lot in comparison with today's value of that figure. After the Civil War, like so many others displayed, success was often expressed or measured by the size of the residence.

In 1859, Cruikshank, Jr. married his first wife, Mary E. Bacon. They had four children and divorced in 1884. Mary remarried in England in 1902.

• George (b. 1860, d. 1865)
• John (b. 1862, d. 1928)
• Charles (b. 1869, d. 1954)
• Mary (b. 1874, d. 1916)

In 1886, Cruikshank, Jr. married Louise Hart who was 27 years younger. They had four daughters.

• Gladys (b. 1887, d. 1961-64)
• Louise (b. 1890, d. 1990)
• Helen (b. 1892, d. 1987)
• Josephine (b. 1894, d. 1975)

Gladys was married on the stair landing in Rockcliffe Mansion in 1912, and Louise and Helen on the veranda of Rockcliffe Mansion in 1915 and 1925, respectively.

The site of the house was previously acquired by Cruikshank, and part of it was owned by another lumberman named Sumner T. McKnight.

Socially, the house was a good fit. In June 1901, there was a house opening reception. There was an orchestra playing for 700 guests. On June 2, 1902, Mark Twain addressed around 300 guests from the stairway. At that time, the lumber industry had started to decline.

John J. Cruikshank, Jr. died on March 20, 1924, at age 86. His death led to the closing of Rockcliffe Mansion. In addition to the mansion being vacant for 43 years, it was saved from demolition in 1967 by three local families. The new owners had help from the Cruikshank heirs to return the interior to its original appearance.

In June 1968, Governor Warren Hearnes' wife attended the open house and since then, the historic Rockcliffe Mansion has become a tourist attraction and an event venue. It also serves as a boutique bed and breakfast.

Our group of 5 was more than happy with our 2 night stay! We were impressed with the renovations the owners have completed, and how much detail they've paid to the history of Rockcliff. (Tripadvisor reviewer.)

Since the mansion is temporarily closed until April 14, 2024, information hasn't been updated yet as to mansion tours or the B&B. For questions, call (573) 221-4140 or visit the website.

Thanks for reading.