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Maud Hart Lovelace wrote 13 Betsy-Tacy books from 1940 to 1955. The books were set in Mankato (Deep Valley) at the turn of the twentieth century and told the story of Lovelace (Betsy) and her best friend Frances ‘Bick’ Kenney (Tacy).

“Maud Hart Lovelace is specifically important to Mankato because our history at the turn of the 20th century is recorded within the pages of the Betsy-Tacy books. The books are fiction based on fact. Maud did not rely only on her childhood memories, but was meticulous in her research for accuracy. Most all of the characters are based on real people Maud knew and all of the places were real places in Mankato,” said Julie Schrader, Minnesota Heritage Publishing.

“Reading these books we can ‘feel’ what it was like to live in Mankato when the first automobile came to town and homes got their first telephone. These books are loved by people all over the country and the world, but Mankato has a special connection – because it is OUR history. How fortunate we are to have this period in our history recorded in this way,” said Schrader.

The books were so popular they were reprinted in the 1970s and again in 2000 as a commemorative 60th anniversary edition.

Harper Perennial Classics reissued the six high school books in the Betsy-Tacy series in 2009 and in 2010 reissued the three Deep Valley books. In 2011 HarperCollins reissued The Betsy-Tacy Treasury, an anthology of the first four Betsy-Tacy books. The books have also been translated in many different languages including German, French, Italian and Japanese.

Betsy-Tacy Events

The Besty-Tacy Society has various events throughout the year including an annual holiday celebration.
Betsy-Tacy Society events. Go>

Betsy-Tacy Houses and Tours

Besty-Tacy Society  |  betsy-tacysociety.org
“The childhood homes of Maud and her best friend Bick Kenney (Betsy and Tacy) have been restored and were listed as National Literary Landmarks in 2010.  These houses are historical treasures to be proudly cherished and supported by the people of Mankato,” said Schrader.  The homes are open to the public and offer a peek into life over 100 years ago.

Blue Earth County Historical Society  |  bechshistory.com
The Blue Earth County Historical Society also offers Maud Hart Lovelace artifacts for people to enjoy.

Discover Deep Valley
Tour of selected Betsy-Tacy sites in Mankato. Go>

Betsy-Tacy Resources

Maud Hart Lovelace’s Deep Valley: Guidebook to the Mankato Places in the Betsy-Tacy Series

Julie A. Schrader
Minnesota Heritage Publishing, 2002
Mankato, Minnesota
ISBN: 0-9630-7830-5
More about this book. Go>

Discover Deep Valley: A Guide to Maud Hart Lovelace’s Mankato

Julie A. Schrader
Minnesota Heritage Publishing, 2011
Mankato, Minnesota
ISBN: 978-0-9794940-4-8
More about this book. Go>

Betsy-Tacy in Deep Valley: People and Places

Carlienne A. Frisch
Friends of the Deep Valley Libraries, 2009
Mankato, Minnesota
More about this book. Go>

Betsy-Tacy’s Deep Valley – All things Maud Hart Lovelace, Betsy-Tacy and Deep Valley Blog

Minnesota Heritage Publishing
Read the Blog. Go>

More about Minnesota Heritage Publishing. Go>