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MANDA, TEXAS
Texas
Ghost Town
Travis County, Texas Hill Country
On Manda Carlson Road off FM1100
4 miles N of Highway 290
2 miles E of FM 973
Near New Sweden, NE of
Austin
Population: 0
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The
Manda School in January 2006
Photo Courtesy Justin Parson |
History
in a Pecan Shell
First
settlers to Manda arrived in the second half of the 1880s, J. Victor
Morell gave the community a boost when he built a steam cotton gin
and moved his blacksmith shop from nearby New
Sweden. A Methodist Church was organized in 1892, followed closely
by the building of small chapel by the Lutheran Church of New Sweden.
In 1893 a general store / post office was opened. When the application
for a post office was submitted, it was the diminutive "Manda" (short
for Amanda), the sister of the store owner.
Manda, Decker and New Sweden received telephone connections in 1899
and the town became a switch on the Texas and New Orleans Railroad.
The population was a mere 40 people in 1900. In 1909 the Methodists
built a frame church, complete with steeple and stained-glass windows.
Despite the church, school and businesses, the population dropped
to only 20 during the Great Depression. Church services were discontinued
in the 1960s and the community's large church bell was given to Elgin's
First Methodist Church while the cornerstone ended up in the Manda
cemetery.
Manda students attended other area schools. In 1947 during the statewide
school consolidations, the Manda ISD was formed, lasting until 1963.
Manda's population was given as 20 in the 60s but today all that is
left is the school building pictured above and the Manda Cemetery.
©
John Troesser
Austin
Hotels
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Manda Texas
Forum
Subject:
The Manda School
• ... About the Readers Comments at the bottom of the page,
a reader described the Manda school building near Kimbro, an old
2 room school. My father also attended classes there as a boy. I
think it was used in a movie in the 1980’s, the Robert Redford,
Waldo Pepper, or something like that. Very nice website, really
enjoyed it. - Mark Thompson, January 13, 2006
• ... As my name suggests I have some German background. My
dad came to the US with his family in 1956 from Hamburg, Germany.
The first town in America they lived in was New Sweden. They attended
the New Sweden Lutheran Church, which we visited again a few years
ago. This is where my dad and his family got used to living in America.
My grandparents are buried at the Kimbro Cemetery, my grandmother
died in 1965 and my grandfather in 1983.
Did you ever see the "Manda" school building? This is a little 2
room school house which was used for students in New Sweden. My
dad attended class at this school. It's in ruins sadly now, when
we went back to New Sweden we went inside and walked around the
building. That was a unique experience to see where my dad went
to school for the first time ever in America. I'm enjoying your
web site! - Kevin Lehnhardt, Austin, Texas. January 08, 2002
001
Anyone wishing to share history or photos of Manda, Texas,
please contact
us.
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