Sounds mysterious, doesn’t it. “In SITU” means “on-site,” and that’s the kind of experience you get when you pull back the curtain – or turn off of Highway 52 at Manfred. As the promotional literature says, “Visit history where history was made.”
Back in the day, Manfred was a bustling prairie village
It’s a 120-year step back in time at Manfred. People whose ancestors settled the region recapture the spirit of those early pioneers. They have preserved, restored and recorded their history and the existing buildings.
Headed in to Manfred from the west.
We were driving by one early spring day in 2017, east to west, when we saw off the highway, a couple of buildings that looked very attractive, not at all anything like the kind of buildings in most modern towns. So, I mentally marked the turn off to the little village so on the return trip we could pull in.
One of the many fully restored “IN SITU” historical sites in Manfred.
Headed west to east on Highway 52, I found the gravel road and headed in to town. *Ding!* *Ding!* my visual alarm went off. I did not see it the first time I passed Manfred. There to the side of the road a perfect model for one of my photographic collections called “Prairie Patina.” A 1950-ish Ford Sedan.
Once in town (last census recorded a population of 6), we headed to the building we saw from the highway. We puzzled over a “handicapped” parking sign for what? 
Then we rounded the corner and saw the preservation of local history, not just a building of dusty artifacts, but an actual step back in time – or in to the Twilight Zone.
What a perfect setting for a 1910 movie set!
One of the few times, Manfred made the news: Glanders
Glanders was a huge fear during WWI. Due to the high mortality rate in humans and the small number of organisms required to establish infection, B. it is regarded as a potential biological warfare or bioterrorism agent. During World War I, glanders was believed to have been spread deliberately by German agents to infect large numbers of Russian horses and mules on the Eastern Front. Other agents attempted to introduce the disease in the United States and Argentina. This had an effect on troop and supply convoys, as well as on artillery movement, which were dependent on horses and mules.
Vang Lutheran Church, Manfred, ND
Now we know when to return – May through September, when the buildings are open and guided tours are available.
Have you toured the site during visiting hours? What’s it like?
North Dakota 365 