Betsy's House and Tacy's House

I was working in Mankato, MN today.  I checked out their "claim to fame" on the city website.   I discovered that the author of the Betsy-Tacy series of books, Maud Hart Lovelace, wrote the stories based on her life in Mankato in the late 1890's and early 1900's. The semi-autobiographical novels follow Maud's (Betsy's) life and adventures with her friend Bick (Tacy), beginning when they meet at the age of 5 through Betsy's Wedding. 

The two houses in this photo are the houses where Maud and Bick lived  during this time. Their front doors face each other across the street and you can imaging the street being dirt and the little girls running back and forth.  The houses have been bought and restored by the Betsy-Tacy Society and are open for tours on the weekends. 

I have known of this series of books but never read them.  Even though they are children's books I plan to go to the library next week and find them.  I think they would make a nice gift to a little girl, followed by a day trip to Mankato!