1000 Bird Street
Hannibal, Missouri
573-221-4140
The Rockcliffe Mansion was built between 1898 and 1900 by John J. Cruikshank, Jr., a descendant of Scottish immigrants, whose fortune was founded on lumber. He erected the residence on West Bird Street. It came to be acknowledged as the most imposing, beautiful and costly residential structure in the region. Its name is derived from its location on a high, rocky eminence, overlooking the entire city of Hannibal and the Mississippi River with spectacular and unmatched views.
Rockcliffe is a massive 13,500-square-foot Colonial Revival/Georgian Style residence, with large columns and porches almost circling the building, built of double-brick wall construction, and designed by the St. Louis firm of Barnett, Haynes & Barnett, the firm which also planned the Governor's Mansion in Jefferson City, the St. Louis Cathedral, and other fine buildings. The interior is embellished with exotic woods, South African pink marble, and Tiffany glass. It is decorated in the Late Victorian and Art Nouveau Styles, with most of the original antique furnishings and fixtures preserved and on display. Rockcliffe boasts more than 30 rooms, 10 ornate fire places, and many architectural details would be difficult to duplicate.
When the family moved out in 1924 after Cruikshank's death, no one else ever moved in and the house sat empty for 43 years. Rockcliffe is now the site of guided tours and an upscale Bed and Breakfast. Rockcliffe is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Touring the Rockcliffe Mansion
Visiting Hours
March 15 - November 15
Tours begin daily at 10 am
Last tour at 4 pm
Admission charged, group rates available.
Explore the community of Hannibal
Use the official site of Rockcliffe Mansion to find the answers to the questions about Rockcliffe Mansion that you may have.
