About Us

1931 Merian Hart Lovelace is born January 18. Maud continues to write adult novels. As Merian grows older, Maud tells her daughter stories about her own childhood in Mankato. These stories would later become the Betsy-Tacy books.

1940 Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace is published by Thomas Y. Crowell Company. From 1940 to 1955, Maud wrote nine more Betsy-Tacy books and three companion Deep Valley books.

1961 The Mankato Branch of the American Association of University Women sponsors a “Betsy-Tacy Day” celebration, and Rex Hill, the mayor of Mankato, proclaims October 7 “Betsy-Tacy Day.”

1967 Delos Lovelace passes away on January 17.

1977 The Mankato Free Press successfully champions for a Maud Hart Lovelace wing for the new Minnesota Valley Regional Library; Maud’s daughter, Merian Kirchner, attends the dedication.

1979 The Mankato Friends of the Library Association establishes the Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award for children’s books. Nominees are chosen in two categories: grades 3–5 and grades 6–8. Children who read at least three books in the relevant category cast a vote for their favorite. The winner is announced on April 25, Maud’s birthday.

1980 Artist Marian Anderson is commissioned to paint a portrait of Maud and a mural for the Lovelace wing of the library; an unveiling ceremony is held on March 9. Maud Hart Lovelace dies on March 11, in California; her ashes are buried in Glenwood Cemetery in Mankato, Minnesota.

1989 Shirley Lieske and the Greater Mankato Area Camp Fire begin the project to install a bench at the foot of Center Street as a memorial to Maud. The stone bench and plaque are dedicated on April 30.

1990 The Betsy-Tacy Society is established to encourage the re-publication of the Betsy-Tacy books, to preserve and protect the homes and landmarks depicted in the books, and to promote awareness of Maud Hart Lovelace and her work. An initial one-page newsletter is sent to BTS members.

1992 Victoria magazine includes the upcoming Betsy-Tacy Convention in its “Events” column, prompting a dramatic rise in membership. The first Betsy-Tacy Society Convention is held in Mankato to celebrate Maud Hart Lovelace’s 100th birthday. Merian Lovelace Kirchner is the guest of honor, and noted Minnesota author Patricia Hampl is the keynote speaker.

1993 HarperCollins reissues the first four titles in the Betsy-Tacy series, due to the campaigning of the Betsy-Tacy Society. Soon after, the six high school books in the series are reissued.

1993–1999 Patty Warhol and Marney Wilde produce The Betsy-Tacy Society Note Book, a quarterly 30- to 40-page journal for BTS members.

1995 The Betsy-Tacy Society purchases Tacy’s house at 332 Center Street (the real-life home of Frances “Bick” Kenney), and restoration begins. The house was built in 1881. The second Betsy-Tacy Society Convention is held in Mankato, with Dr. Louisa Smith, Professor of English at Mankato State University, as the keynote speaker.

1997 The third Betsy-Tacy Society Convention is held in Mankato, with Elizabeth Riley (Maud’s editor of the Betsy-Tacy series) as the keynote speaker. Merian Lovelace Kirchner dies on September 25.

2000 HarperCollins reissues the entire Betsy-Tacy series, including the three companion Deep Valley books: Emily of Deep Valley, Carney’s House Party, and Winona’s Pony Cart.

2001 The Betsy-Tacy Society purchases Maud’s childhood home on Center Street, saving it from possible demolition. The house was built in 1892.

2002 The fourth Betsy-Tacy Society Convention is held in Mankato, with Peggy Kirch, “Tacy’s” granddaughter, as the keynote speaker.

2004 Betsy-Tacy Society membership grows to over 1,500, with members throughout the U.S., Canada, Japan, France, Netherlands, Australia, Germany, and England.

2005 The BTS appoints Julie Schrader Executive Director and Newsletter Editor. The first issue of the Deep Valley Sun, the new BTS newsletter, is printed.

2005–2009 Hometime, a syndicated home improvement show on PBS, films a total of five episodes at Betsy’s House, Maud Hart Lovelace’s childhood home.

2007 A Maud Hart Lovelace historic plaque is dedicated at Betsy’s House on September 29.

2008 Betsy’s House and Tacy’s House signs, designed and crafted by David and Nancy Allan, are installed at the Houses. The first engraved pavers from the paver fundraiser are laid in the walkway outside Betsy’s House in June.

2009 The Betsy-Tacy Society celebrates burning the mortgage for the Betsy-Tacy Houses. HarperCollins reissues the Betsy-Tacy high school books, two novels in one volume with original Vera Neville cover artwork. A volunteer-coordinated Convention is held in Mankato on July 18–21, with author Meg Cabot as keynote speaker. The Society receives the “Bring It Home” award from the Mankato Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

2010 The Betsy-Tacy Houses are designated National Landmarks by the Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends, and Foundations, and a dedication ceremony is held on May 20. HarperCollins reissues the three Deep Valley books in two volumes with original cover artwork.

2011 HarperCollins releases a paperback Betsy-Tacy Treasury, containing the first four Betsy-Tacy books in one volume.

2012 The Betsy-Tacy Society bylaws are amended and approved. A volunteer-coordinated Convention is held in Minneapolis and Mankato, July 19–22. Original artworks of Lois Lenski and Vera Neville, illustrators for Maud’s Deep Valley books, are gifted to the BTS by the estate of Merian Kirchner, daughter of Maud Hart Lovelace and Delos Lovelace. The BTS also receives Hart and Lovelace family artifacts, now on display in the Interpretive Center at Tacy’s House.

2013 The BTS receives a grant from the City of Mankato for the restoration of the second floor at Betsy’s House. The first e-newsletter is created for BTS members. An Endowment Fund for the BTS is established and approved by the Board, with the goal of continuing to grow funding and interest income to meet the Society’s ongoing financial responsibilities.

2014 The Deep Valley Homecoming is held June 28–July 2 in Mankato. Kasota stone hitching blocks are dedicated at the Betsy and Tacy Houses on October 25.

2015 The second annual Deep Valley Homecoming is held June 26–30 in Mankato.

2016 The third annual Deep Valley Homecoming is held June 24–27 in Mankato.

2018 A volunteer-coordinated Betsy-Tacy Convention is held August 3–5 in Minneapolis.

2019 The Frances “Bick” Kenney House historic plaque is installed.

Beyond Domestic Science: Recipes from Betsy-Tacy, a book of vintage recipes for all food items mentioned in the series, is added to the Shop and quickly becomes the best-selling item.

 2020 During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Houses close temporarily. Zoom proves  to be an invaluable tool, enabling BTS members across the U.S. to join the Board and Advisory Council and play a more meaningful role in the BTS’s work.

The Agony Column, a new quarterly e-newsletter designed to complement the Deep Valley Sun and to promote member engagement, is emailed to all BTS members.

To commemorate Dyslexia Awareness Month (October), BTS Board member Amber
Massaglia coordinates the Betsy-Tacy Reading Series on YouTube.

2021  Tumblr is added to the array of BTS social media offerings.

A new membership level for young adults is introduced. These members, ages 13–10, receive their own newsletter, The Social Room, three times per year. BTT Club membership is now for ages 5–12, and these members receive a quarterly newsletter titled Everything Pudding.

Two new monthly Zoom activities are introduced: monthly discussions of a BT book and a Drop-In Writers Lounge – a quiet time block for writers to work in the company of kindred spirits.

2022 Two important technology updates are enacted:

• Square is chosen as the BTS’s new POS system, enabling all Shop customers to pay with credit cards and not be forced to use PayPal.
• The BTS transitions to a new, more user friendly website hosted by Squarespace and adds many new resources – including an interactive map of Deep Valley.

The BTS receives a “Service Above Self” award from the Greater Mankato Rotary Club. The award is accepted by BTS co-founder (and sole remaining original Board member) Lona Falenczykowski.

The Betsy and Tacy Houses reopen for tours in June!

To celebrate National Novel Writing Month in November, the BTS hosts additional sessions of the Drop-In Writers Lounge and initiates what becomes a tradition of inviting noted authors who are also MHL fans to attend and share some writerly words of wisdom.

2023 “Meet the Deep Valley Grandchildren,” a Zoom event, features seven descendants of the beloved characters sharing delightful stories about their famous relatives.

The first annual Donation Drive is launched, with the goal of raising $25K and ultimately raising $26,939. This enables the BTS to make some repairs to the two 100-year-old homes, most notably giving Tacy’s House a much-needed new roof.

BTS VP Michelle May arranges for the Collaborative Artists at Bethany Lutheran College to paint Lois Lenski’s map of Deep Valley on the garage wall owned by Deep Valley Properties on Main Street, just east of the intersection with Broad Street.

Kathy McGillivray, who’s been blind since birth, asks to tour the Houses, which is a wonderful experience for everyone involved. Kathy’s visit is spotlighted in the Fall 2023 Deep Valley Sun.

In December, the now-annual ornament fundraiser is launched: For a donation of any amount, donors have their name inscribed on a beautiful ornament hanging on the Christmas tree in Tacy’s House.

2024 The second annual Donation Drive raises more than $38K.

In May, the entire Board and several AC members meet in person for an intensive day of strategic planning, led by nonprofit consultant and BTS Board member Melissa Prycer. The resulting strategic plan is an invaluable tool in guiding the Board’s work.

Two important staffing changes:

• Jennifer Davis-Kay is hired as Executive Director and promptly gets to work moving us out of our storage facility and back into Tacy’s House.
• Kat Hohenstein is hired as Site Manager and immediately takes on our long-overdue Shop inventory project, ensuring that our inventory is accurate and every item in the Shop has the correct price tag. She also established regular open Shop hours, a longtime goal.

The first annual September Membership Drive results in 253 discrete membership purchases in just one month! The BTS hits two important milestones:

• YA and BTT Club members total 89 – a 40% increase from last year
• There are BTS members in every U.S. state

The “international” quarterly book discussions are launched. Held at noon CST on Saturdays, these are timed to enable outside-the-U.S. fans to more easily attend this popular event.

A wonderful intern from MSU Mankato lists the BTS’s inherited collection of Madame Alexander dolls on Etsy.

A historic mail slot is installed at Tacy’s House. Mail now comes directly to the house, and the BTS no longer pays for a P.O. box.

The Washington Post features the BTS in an October article.

2025 Betsy-Tacy for Small Children, the first new BT book since 1955, is published.

The BTS adopts Little Green Light, a Web-based donor management and fundraising software, allowing the Society to more easily store member data, track donors, and run reports.

The annual Donation Drive nets more than $38K from 435 donors. The theme is Grounds and Gardens, and the BTS hires Tim Sutton to oversee a plan for the gardens and landscaping at each House.

The annual Membership Drive results in 204 discrete membership purchases in just two weeks, and the BTS hits the goal of 1,000+ active members.

The BTS bylaws, last updated in 2012, are revised and updated, resulting in a significantly cleaner, clearer, and more accurate version.

The BTS mission statement is recrafted into one that is more consistent with the current vision and aims of the Board:

Raise awareness of Maud Hart Lovelace, celebrate her life
and writing, and promote a legacy of friendship and community
through sharing  her stories and the real-life childhood homes
of her beloved characters Betsy and Tacy.

The iconic “little glass pitcher” is on display at Tacy’s House, thanks to the generosity of Advisory Council member Denise Statham and her mom, Shirley Lieske.

With an eye toward making Betsy’s House more accessible, the BTS films “Upstairs at Betsy’s” for visitors who are unable to climb stairs.

A volunteer-coordinated Convention is held in Mankato in October. Mitali Perkins and Mara Wilson are the keynote speakers.

Executive Director Jennifer Davis-Kay launches a new YouTube video series, “All Roads Lead to Betsy.”

Two new membership levels are established: Adult YA and Adult BTT Club.

2026 The BTS conducts the first survey of its membership since 1999, with a 30% response rate.

The annual Donation Drive (theme: Sharing Betsy with the Great World) nets $37,184.

To better protect all the new plantings, sprinkler systems are installed at each House.

The BTS establishes a partnership with local vendor Mike Holm; T-shirts, sweatshirts, and other BT apparel are now available on demand through his online Betsy-Tacy Society Apparel Shop.

Two membership benefits are introduced:

• 20% off Shop coupons are published in the Deep Valley Sun (for members only)
• Like the BTT Club, adults may request a pen pal

The BTS reaches a milestone 6K Facebook followers.