[8] The founders were Robert Donaldson, Joseph Grigsby, Hugh A. Hickman, a Doctor Keenan, John Witt, and Major W.N.

[9] Hickman owned and operated a mill approximately one half-mile (800 m) south of Florida, while Penn had a dry goods store near there as well.

For example, John Clemens, father of Mark Twain, along with other investors, had formed the Salt River Navigation Company in 1836 in hopes of developing this water commerce.

[9] Having no railroad and with river shipping no longer an option, Florida was destined to remain a small village attending to the commerce needs of area farmers.

Such summer memories and social interactions with Quarles house servants formed many of the sketches and perspectives that Clemens placed in his novels.

Brigadier General Thomas A. Harris of the pro-Confederate Missouri State Guard had established his headquarters at Florida in June, and by early July he had nearly 500 troops in the immediate vicinity under his command.

Hidden by thick timber and brush, the State Guardsmen ambushed the Federals, opening fire at very close range.

The Federal troops quickly regrouped and returned heavy fire with their superior numbers, causing the State Guard force to flee.

[9] Meanwhile, the bulk of State Guard and various Confederate bushwhackers had outflanked the Federals and attacked Monroe City, Missouri, and its vital railroad line.

At Florida, they were surprised by a detachment of Federal cavalry, approximately fifty men, under Major Henry Clay Caldwell.

The 20th century was not nearly so kind to the community, however, especially after World War II, as businesses closed and families moved away to find better opportunities in cities.

The construction of Mark Twain Lake in the mid-1960s permanently flooded some of the valuable farmland around Florida, although it opened more opportunities for recreation and tourism.

[11] Twain's birthplace was moved into a climate-controlled museum setting, which also contains exhibits and displays such as rare first edition books, a hand-written manuscript of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and furnishings from his home.