Mankato is much more than a lively sports town. Yes, the Minnesota Vikings train there in the summer, and the Minnesota State University campus is a hub of collegiate athletic competition. But the Minnesota River Valley city also is home to architecturally significant buildings and a thriving arts community, and its unique literary history attracts visitors from across the country and the world.
A literary landmark
The Betsy-Tacy Houses (332 and 333 Center St.; www.betsy-tacysociety.org/houses) are a must-see for fans of the fictional Betsy-Tacy series by Mankato native Maud Hart Lovelace. The books are based on Lovelace's experiences growing up in Mankato at the turn of the previous century, although she used a fictional name, Deep Valley, for the town. Lovelace wrote 24 books for children and adults, including "Early Candlelight," a historical novel set at Fort Snelling. She also inspired a children's choice book award, the Maud Hart Lovelace Award, now in its 30th year.
Lovelace's childhood home was under threat of demolition when the nonprofit Betsy-Tacy Society rescued it in 2001. After years of careful restoration, the society opened Betsy's House for public tours in 2009. Across the street, Tacy's House, the renovated home of Lovelace's best friend, Frances Kenney, serves as an interpretive center and gift shop.
In May 2010, the Betsy-Tacy Houses were designated Literary Landmarks by the Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations, a division of the American Library Association. The only other Minnesota site to receive that distinction is F. Scott Fitzgerald's boyhood home in St. Paul.
The houses are open 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and by appointment. In the summer, they have extended hours. Call 1-507-345-9777 for more details.
Art and architecture
The Betsy-Tacy Houses are about five blocks south of triangle-shaped Lincoln Park, established in the 1890s. The neighborhood around the park contains block after block of gorgeous architecture -- it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is considered one of the state's most intact late 19th- and early 20th-century residential neighborhoods outside of the Twin Cities.
