Laura’s Homes on Rocky Ridge

As visitors make their trek to the historic Rocky Ridge Farm, the first sight they’ll see is Laura’s and Almanzo’s beloved farmhouse. It remains as it was in 1957 and stands as an official project of the Save America’s Treasures National Trust for Historical Preservation.

Laura, Almanzo and daughter, Rose, arrived in Mansfield from South Dakota, August 30, 1894. They purchased a forty-acre farm, which had a one-room log cabin near the spring and ravine. After living in the log cabin through the first winter they built a room onto the side of it in the spring of 1895. The next spring (1896) they moved the new room to the present historic house location, where it is now the kitchen. A second room, with an attic space above it, was added to create a two-room house with an attic bedroom for Rose.

It took 17 years from the time they moved the room to when the home was finished in 1913. They lived in a small house in the town of Mansfield from about 1898- 1911.

The home was always a central theme to Laura’s life. The farmhouse held a very special place in both Laura’s and Almanzo’s hearts as they chose to live the last of their days here. It is only fitting that the Little House books were written by hand on tablets of paper at both homes on Rocky Ridge Farm. Visitors can tour the home and see her study and writing desk, as well as the many treasures that remain exactly how Laura left them.