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History · Manfred Township

Manfred Township’s post office opened in 1894, and 78% of its homes were built before 1940

2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 16 buildings. Below: maps from 1949 on.

1894first post office
2on the National Register
78%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Manfred Township began

When was Manfred Township founded?

1894

The Manfred Township post office opened in 1894, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Manfred (1894), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

2020 census: 31132 years
Founding year: the first Manfred Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Manfred Township’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Manfred Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Manfred Township’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Manfred Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Manfred Township’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Manfred Township, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Manfred Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Manfred is an unincorporated community in Wells County, North Dakota, United States. Manfred is located along U.S. Route 52 and the Canadian Pacific Railway, 10.1 miles (16.3 km) east-southeast of Harvey. The Vang Evangelical Lutheran Church, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is located in Manfred.

Its first post office opened in 1894. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 39 to 31 (-21%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Manfred Township, 1894 to 1992

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1894Post officeThe Manfred post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1949On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1992Post officeThe Manfred post office closes
By decade

Manfred Township, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Manfred, North Dakota2008Manfred, North DakotaManfred, North Dakota2008Manfred, North DakotaManfred, North Dakota2008Manfred, North DakotaManfred, North Dakota2008Manfred, North DakotaManfred, North Dakota2008Manfred, North DakotaManfred, North Dakota2008Manfred, North Dakota
On the map

Manfred Township on the map, 1949 to 1986

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Manfred Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Manfred Township on the 1949 USGS mapManfred Township on the 1986 USGS map1949Fessenden West sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Manfred Township.

On the National Register

2 listings protect 18 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
18
each building in a district counts
first listed
2001
Vang Evangelical Lutheran Church
Vang Evangelical Lutheran ChurchManfred Historic District
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Late Gothic Revival1
Vang Evangelical Lutheran ChurchLate Gothic Revival
All 2 listings
Manfred Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2017

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Manfred Township

Nobody well known was born in Manfred Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Michael ForestActor · b. 1929
J
Jud HeathcoteAmerican basketball player and coach · b. 1927
J
John T. DaviesAmerican politician in Minnesota · b. 1932
L
Leonard R. BrandAmerican scientist · b. 1941
J
Jim PedersonAmerican football player · b. 1907
N
Norman WillmoreCanadian politician · b. 1909
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Another post office, Manfred, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Manfred
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Manfred Township
Bethel LutheranVang Lutheran

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

St. Anna TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWest Norway TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townForward TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townFram TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townRusland TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Manfred Township’s history

What year was Manfred Township founded?

The Manfred Township post office opened in 1894, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Manfred Township?

Two places: the Vang Evangelical Lutheran Church (listed 2001) and the Manfred Historic District (2017).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (6), the National Register of Historic Places (2), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.