Betsy's House
333 Center Street, Mankato MN

Tacy's House
332 Center Street, Mankato MN

The Betsy-Tacy Society now owns 333 Center Street in Mankato, memorialized as Betsy's Hill Street house in Deep Valley in the Betsy-Tacy series. If the Society had not purchased Betsy's house then it is very likely the house would have been razed. A professional inspection revealed widespread deterioration and a desperate need for repairs, many of which were immediate such as a crumbling foundation, a spongy roof, and a chimney that could have collapsed at any time.  We are continuing to repair and restore the house to the condition it enjoyed in the Hart/Ray family days. Although its condition presents some daunting challenges, we just could not imagine passing up the opportunity to save this treasure, and we certainly hope you agree!

On June 26, 2003, one of the maple trees planted by Maud's father in front of Betsy's house was severely damaged by a strong windstorm and we had to have it removed.  Fortunately, the BTS has salvaged most of the wood from the tree, and we plan to make keepsake items from it to use for house fundraising efforts.

Maud Hart Lovelace describes her house on “Hill Street.”

Betsy's House after painting in 2004 and Interior photos from 1995

The Society also has owned Tacy's house (across the street at 332 Center Street) since 1995. Recent work on  this home included replacing the roof, installing a new furnace (this involved asbestos removal), and repairing its two porches, bringing the building in line with existing code. While Betsy's house is still undergoing restoration, Tacy's house is currently open to the public:

Tacy’s House & Gift Shop
Open Saturday afternoons
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
No admission fee on Saturday afternoons - donations requested
Children under age 12 must be accompanied by an adult.
507-345-9777
Closed for major holidays or during severe weather.
Special hours offered by appointment

Admission for special appointments:
$20.00 - up to 5 people
Over 5 people, additional $3.00 for adults and $1.00 for ages 5-16.
This fee applies to members and non-members of the BTS.
Special rates available for bus tours or school visits.
Contact us at 507-345-9777 for more details.

We try to accommodate all requests for special appointments.
However we cannot guarantee an appointment for requests made for dates
less than 2 weeks in advance

We are committed to renovating these special houses and eventually turning them into history and interpretative centers that depict the period in which the Betsy-Tacy books were set. Currently Tacy's house serves as headquarters for Society activities, but Betsy's house can have limited access until major repairs are made. Please help us save Betsy's house, and keep Tacy's in good shape! 

The Betsy-Tacy Society asks that if you can make a donation, no matter what size, please do so today! We are a  §501(c)(3) charitable organization, and all contributions are tax-deductible.

Checks can be made out to and sent to:

The Betsy-Tacy Society
P.O. Box 94
Mankato MN 56002-0094

Please  write “Attention: House Fund” on the outside of the envelope.

For those of you who are not yet members of the Betsy-Tacy Society but would like to be,  membership information is available here.

For questions about the Betsy-Tacy Society please contact us at: 
membership@betsy-tacysociety.org

Hometime Visits Hill Street!

Dean Johnson and his team from the PBS program Hometime spent three days in October 2005 visiting Deep Valley and working on Betsy's House. Using supplies donated by local Mankato businesses, the Hometime crew and volunteers from MSU's Construction Management department, are replacing windows and doors with period materials, and working on the home's porch and siding. Hometime aired a production entitled "Betsy-Tacy Homes" in two episodes, on November 26 and December 3, 2005.

In Fall 2006 the Hometime team returned for more work and more filming. Episodes 3 and 4 were aired in June 2007. We have basically gutted the interior of Betsy’s house to the studs, revealing many clues as to the original construction of the house. Many interesting artifacts were found in the ceiling beneath the attic, including a letter written by Thomas Hart to Stella Palmer in 1885, high button shoes, long black stockings, a shirt waist, valentine, card tally, puzzle pieces, Lincoln Logs, checkers, porcelain doll arm, magazines and newspapers, etc.

Johns Mansfield donated new support beams and Ireland Electric donated the labor and materials to re-wire the house. The house was fully insulated yesterday on December 21 with a very efficient type of insulation which will save us a lot of money in heating bills. Kinstler Construction Services from Ames, Iowa drove 4 ˝ hours in winter weather to install the insulation. Kinstler donated the labor and the material was donated by the manufacturer. Hometime has worked with these companies to get materials donated to the project.  We are so grateful to the Hometime crew, Denny Weis and our volunteers for the many hours of work dedicated to this major restoration project.

The Hometime crew returned to Betsy's house last winter, and once again filmed their work. DVDs of the first four episodes of Hometime's visits are available.