Manda

Founded by Swedish immigrants in the 1880s, this community was named for Amanda Bengtson Gustafson, sister of the town's postmaster. By the 1890s Manda boasted homes, farms, a cotton gin, general store, and blacksmith shop. The Manda Swedish Methodist Congregation, organized in 1892, built a sanctuary in 1909 and was active until 1962. A Lutheran chapel was built in 1896. The Methodist cemetery serves as a reminder of the early settlement. In 1947 area schools combined to form the Manda School District. The school building now serves as a community center. (1990)