Profile of the Betsy-Tacy Houses

Author Maud Hart Lovelace and Frances "Bick" Kenney Kirch met as children when they lived in these Mankato, Minnesota homes. The Betsy-Tacy books tell the story of Maud and Frances' lifelong friendship and of their childhood and coming of age in a close-knit Minnesota community during the early years of the 20th century. Fans of the Betsy-Tacy books can now visit the houses Maud immortalized in her writing. The Betsy-Tacy Houses in Mankato will take you back to the early 1900s and Lovelace's stories of picnics on the Big Hill and, of course, the adventures only Betsy's vivid imagination could contrive.

Betsy's House and Tacy's House are located in Mankato, Minnesota (not North Mankato), at 332 and 333 Center Street.

Adults $3; children ages 6 – 16 $1. There is no charge for children age five and under.

From March through May and September through December, the Betsy-Tacy Houses are open on Saturdays from 1:00 to 3:00 p. m. During the months of June, July and August, they are open on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p. m. The Betsy-Tacy Houses are closed during January and February each year.

Note: The houses typically close for the winter during the week before Christmas; check the Betsy-Tacy Society website for details.

332 and 333 Center Street

Mankato, MN 56001

507-345-9777

Website

• As of this writing, the houses are only open on Saturdays (March through mid-December); hours vary.


• The Betsy-Tacy Houses were designated National Literary Landmarks in 2010 by the Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations (ALTAFF).


• If you would like to explore "Deep Valley" and see some of the Mankato landmarks immortalized in the Betsy-Tacy books, you can pick up a self-guided tour map at Tacy's House.


• Several special events take place each year; past events have included Maud's (Betsy's) Birthday, Victorian Christmas, Neighborhood Walk (walking tour of Mankato, featuring homes and places mentioned in the books) and a biennial Betsy-Tacy Convention.

About the Betsy-Tacy Houses

In her beloved Betsy-Tacy book series, Maud Hart Lovelace tells the story of her own childhood, high school years and coming of age in Mankato, Minnesota (renamed Deep Valley in the books). Her central character, Betsy Ray, is modeled after Lovelace herself. In the book series, Betsy is an imaginative young lady and aspiring writer, eager to learn about the world around her.

Central to the series is Betsy’ lifelong friendship with Tacy Kelly (Frances "Bick" Kenney Kirch in real life). Long before the term “BFF” was invented, Betsy and Tacy understood what true friendship was all about. With their faithful German-American friend Tib in tow, Betsy and Tacy explore Deep Valley, immortalize the hilltop picnic, despair over high school reading assignments and fall in love. Through it all, they encourage and console each other in ways that resonate with even the most modern of readers. It’s no wonder the books are considered literary classics.

Lovelace’s books tend to inspire fanatical devotion in their readers. Twelve fans from Mankato, Lovelace’s home town, started the Betsy-Tacy Society with the goals of convincing a publisher to reprint the series and preserving the literary heritage of Maud Hart Lovelace. The group purchased the Kenney home ("Tacy’s House") in 1995 and acquired the Hart residence ("Betsy’s House") six years later. Tacy’s House is now an interpretive center and houses the Betsy-Tacy Society’s gift shop. Betsy’s House, now restored, looks much as it did when Maud and her family lived there in the late 1890s and early 1900s. In 2010, both houses were named National Literary Landmarks.