In August 2011 Donna and I visited Dantown at the start of our three-day genealogical tour. I suppose that I had hoped to discover some profound relic of the family roots, but I left with nothing but an appreciation for "why they left", and the satisfaction of having walked their paths.

The map of Dantown, showing the roads and building sites that were displaced.

The local historical society said that they had many Dan records, but also said that they wouldn't be open on the day that I was passing through. They sounded earnest and helpful.

The vestige of one of the roads that were cut off by the reservoir

We drove several times around the Laurel Reservoir which flooded the Dantown area when it was built in the early 1900s, and we were stunned by the amount of rocks. Thick woods now fill the tiny fields that were outlined by walls of rocks. The walls are more properly "linear rock piles"... they exist because the rocks that interfered with cultivation had to be picked up and placed out- of- the way somewhere

Rocks, rocks, and more rocks. They are in this wall, on the ground, and in more walls visible in the distance. Note too, that the woods has matured to the point where the trees are large and have choked out the underbrush.

We visited the Danntown cemetery just north of the reservoir; It is properly maintained, but there are few legible stones and many chunks of field stones that suggest other burials.

We also visited the Selleck's Corners Cemetery, and found it to be neat- as-a pin, and containing many Danns, but none of our line (Donna is a fifth coousin through the Dann family)