Visiting "Deep Valley"

"Hill Street was rightfully named. It ran straight up into a green hill and stopped. The name of the town was Deep Valley, and a town named Deep Valley naturally had plenty of hills. Betsy's house, a small yellow cottage, was the last house on her side of Hill Street, and the rambling white house opposite was the last house on that side." -- from Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace

This summer I was able to make one of my dreams come true! I visited the birthplace of Maud Hart Lovelace, one of my favorite childhood authors. Lovelace wrote an amazing series of books called the Betsy-Tacy books. They tell the story of Betsy Ray and her friends beginning with Betsy's fifth birthday and ending with her first year of marriage. Lovelace wrote the books originally for her daughter, telling the story of her own childhood in the late 1800's and early 1900's in her home of Mankato, Minnesota. She changed the name of the town to Deep Valley and made her own name Betsy and her best friend Frances Kinney's name Tacy.

I have now actually been to Deep Valley! I have seen "Betsy's" and "Tacy's" houses. I have walked down "Hill Street" and many of the other streets that my childhood "friends" walked down. It gave me such a strange feeling of deja vu. I absolutely loved being in the place where characters from some of my favorite books actually lived. I wandered around the older part of Mankato, lost in the descriptions and dialogue from stories etched in my mind after countless readings I could picture Betsy and Tacy as they dressed in their mothers' clothes and called at the chocolate-colored house. I could almost smell the bonfires of burning leaves at Carney's house as Deep Valley High School's students sat in the yard. I could hear the clop-clop of Dandy's hoofs as he brought Mr. Ray home to the little yellow cottage after working in the shoe store all day. It was like visiting relatives who are dear to me!

Connecting my beloved books to my love of travel is thrilling! Mankato touched my heart in a way that not many places can, because I loved it before I ever arrived.

Where do you want to go to connect to a dear book friend? Comment below. I'd love to get some new ideas! (Visiting the red roads of Prince Edward Island to see Anne's Lake of Shining Waters and green-gabled home still tops my list.)

Betsy's house

Tacy's house

**Mankato Notes: 

Broad Street Antiques -- one of the best antique stores I have visited. It has true antiques, and the prices are reasonable. The owner stayed open an extra 30 minutes, giving me time to browse at my leisure. (1434 N. Broad St.)

Pappageorge Restaurant -- ate dinner here. It is small, cozy, quiet. The food was served in generous portions and was very tasty. It was actually recommended by the owner of Broad Street Antiques, and I was pleased with his recommendation! (1028 N. Riverfront Dr.)

All Things Maud Hart Lovelace