Dana was a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

located in

Worcester County, Massachusetts Worcester County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 862,111, making it the second-most populous county in Massachusetts while also b ...

. Dana was lost as a result of the formation of the

Quabbin Reservoir The Quabbin Reservoir is the largest inland body of water in Massachusetts, and was built between 1930 and 1939. Along with the Wachusett Reservoir, it is the primary water supply for Boston, to the east, and 40 other cities and towns in Greate ...

History

Formed from parts of Petersham,

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

, and Hardwick, it was incorporated in 1801. The town was named for Massachusetts statesman

Francis Dana Francis Dana (June 13, 1743 – April 25, 1811) was an American Founding Father, lawyer, jurist, and statesman from Massachusetts. He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1777–1778 and 1784. A signer of the Articles of Confederat ...

. The town was disincorporated on April 28, 1938, as part of the creation of the

. Upon disincorporation, all of the town was returned to the adjacent town of Petersham. The majority of the land of the former town is still above water. As with the nearby town of Prescott, after the disincorporation, houses were moved or razed, but cellar holes remained. The public is only allowed to visit the former town of Dana by foot, as the old narrow road is blocked off to cars. In the town center (which is still somewhat maintained by the

Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is a state agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, situated in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. It is best known for its parks and parkways. The DCR's mission i ...

), a stone marker has been installed, which reads: "SITE OF DANA COMMON 1801-1938 To all those who sacrificed their homes and way of life (Erected by Dana Reunion, 1996)". The common and a area encompassing the former town center has been listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. Image:Dana_MA_Town_Common_Marker.jpg, The stone marker mentioned above Image:Dana_MA_cellar_hole.jpg, One of the many cellar holes remaining in the former town File:Dana Common NRHP Marker.jpg, National Register of Historic Places marker File:Dana Common fence posts.jpg, Old fence posts near Dana Common File:Dana Common building foundation.jpg, Stone building foundation at Dana Common

Other Quabbin towns

Enfield Enfield may refer to: Places Australia * Enfield, New South Wales * Enfield, South Australia ** Electoral district of Enfield, a state electoral district in South Australia, corresponding to the suburb ** Enfield High School (South Australia) ...

* Prescott

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20161017095551/http://menotomymaps.com/quab_1.html. Map showing the towns buried under Quabbin as they looked in 1912 with original house locations and current reservoir water level.

References

* Tougias, Michael. ''Quabbin: A History And Explorer's Guide''. Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts: On Cape Publications, 2002.) {{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Defunct towns in Massachusetts Ghost towns in Massachusetts Geography of Worcester County, Massachusetts 1938 disestablishments in Massachusetts Forcibly depopulated communities in the United States National Register of Historic Places in Worcester County, Massachusetts 1801 establishments in Massachusetts Populated places on the National Register of Historic Places Populated places established in 1801 Populated places disestablished in 1938 Petersham, Massachusetts

History

Other Quabbin towns

See also

External links

References