The community of Manning was founded in 1881 primarily by immigrants from the Schleswig-Holstein area of Germany. Since its beginning, Manning has embraced its heritage and continued to celebrate its own German festivals. Included in these celebrations are Kinderfest, or Children's Day, now 115 years old; Musikfest, or Music Festival, which honors traditional music styles including Der Manning Liederkranz, a men's chorus now more than 110 years old; and Weihnachtsfest, Manning's celebration of German Christmas traditions.

To add to the fullness of Manning's German heritage, the Manning Heritage Foundation has brought an authentic 300 year old haus barn from Germany to Manning to become a permanent exhibit dedicated to German immigrants.

The Haus Barn
Haus Barns are of German origin and design with construction beginning in the 1600s. Various styles of haus barns were built, most with living quarters for the family on one side of the structure and animal pens and farm storage on the opposite side. The design was meant to make the most of living and working space while efficiently using heat and other energy.

The haus barn concept came to America with the first German settlers in the 1700s. A number of haus barns were built, but very few survive today. Many haus barns populate Schleswig-Holstein in northern German. The fact that the settlers of Manning came from the Schleswig-Holstein area adds to the historical aspect of the project. Now waiting for resurrection in Manning, it is believed this haus barn is the only one of its kind in the United States.

The History
Contact was made with Dr. Engemar Johannson, the curator of the Molfsee Open Air Museum near Kiel, Germany. Following several years of correspondence, Dr. johannsen came across a haus barn in the Schleswig-Holstein area. The farmer living there, Claus Hachmann, wanted to dispose of the structure and donated the building to the Manning Heritage Foundation.

Dr. Johannsen and students from a local university visited the haus barn and authenticated the design. They took precise measurements and prepared drawings of the inside and outside of the structure. The haus barn was dismantled and shipped to Manning with detailed instructions for reassembling the structure. All of the reusable structural pieces are presently in storage.

The Property
A historic property was purchased as a site for the haus barn on the east edge of Manning. The property consists of ten acres and includes a farm house, a three-stall carriage house, a barn and several smaller outbuildings. Built in 1914, the house and remaining buildings will be renovated and in the future will become a fully functional heritage farm, a permanent part of the Manning Heritage Park. Here, the German haus barn will again be erected to resemble its original state and nearby a new museum will be constructed to house German antiquities and heritage records.