Before the founding of Jamestown in 1823, the area was known as “Sand Springs” and was home to several hotsprings. The last remaining spring is located inside Mark Twain City Park

Twain never resided or visited Jamestown, yet the town is full of his legacy with The Mark Twain Inn, Mark Twain Legion Post 137, Mark Twain Apparel, which is located on Mark Twain Avenue, and just across the street is Mark Twain Park.

Twain’s parents settled in Jamestown in 1827. The spring inside the park was a source of water for the early settlers including his parents. They left Jamestown in the spring of 1835 for Missouri where Twain was born in November of the same year. 

The town to this day boasts the theory that Twain was conceived in Fentress County.