In the town of Manning, Iowa German
and American flags can be seen flying side by side each other at the entrance
of an authentic German farmstead. Originally constructed in 1660 in the
village of Offenseth, this type of building was common to the Schleswig-Holstein
region during the 17th and 18th centuries. It was given to the Manning
Heritage Foundation in 1991. In 1996 the house was dismantled, timbers
were marked, boxed and shipped to Iowa where it was reconstructed. Professional
thatchers from Schleswig-Holstein constructed the roof using reeds grown
near the Baltic Sea. The completion was celebrated August 13, 2000. The
house soon became a landmark of Schleswig-Holstein heritage in the Midwest.
The farmhouse and the projects related to its
reconstruction remind the visitor of the fact that approximately
30.000 emigrants from Schleswig-Holstein came to America. Nebraska, Minnesota
and Wisconsin were also prominent destinations for the German newcomers.
It was not uncommon for many of these first pioneers to find themselves
farming in predominately Scandinavian enclaves.
Political motives were, more often than not,
the primary reason for a farm family to emigrate. Theodor Ohlhausen
hailed from the village of Glückstadt and went to St. Louis before
settling in Davenport in 1851. He would soon become an important writer
in America. Hans Reimer Claussen, a lawyer and journalist from the town
of Ditmarschen was a representative in the first German National Assembly
in Frankfurt, before he left for America due to political oppression. Friedrich
Hedde from Rendsburg emigrated to Davenport and then on to Grand Island,
Nebraska for similar reasons.
Emigration from the Schleswig-Holstein area
is documented through the work of the Nordfrisk
Institute in Bredstedt, as well as in some regional museums and archives
located in that same state. For tours to Schleswig-Holstein, visitors
may contact Jogy Reppmann of Moin-Moin
Tours, a travel agency that works in co-operation with Research
and Travel, Dr. Grams.
