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Dana

Ghost town · Worcester County, Massachusetts

Belchertown quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1887, 1:62,500)
Belchertown quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1887, 1:62,500) · U.S. Geological Survey, Historical Topographic Map Collection · Public domain

Dana is a ghost town in Worcester County, Massachusetts. It is one of 16 former communities in Worcester County on the federal names register. No county in Massachusetts has more among the 13 Massachusetts counties with a vanished settlement on record.

Dana was established in 1801, in the first half of the 19th century; it was abandoned in 1938, after roughly 137 years.

The U.S. Geological Survey lists Dana as a historical populated place on the Quabbin Reservoir topographic quadrangle: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 42.4334° N, 72.2662° W.

Key facts

Founded1801
Abandoned1938
USGS quadrangleQuabbin Reservoir
Elevation522 ft
Nearest living townPetersham, MA
Distance to it5.7 miles
GNIS feature ID617471
Coordinates42.43342, -72.26619

Open the location on a map

What's there now

Dana is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Petersham, MA (population 252), about 5.7 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 522 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.

Images

Early divided back postcard of North Dana station
Early divided back postcard of North Dana station · Unknown authorUnknown author / Wikimedia Commons · public-domain

Nearby places

Questions

Where is Dana?

Dana is in Worcester County, Massachusetts, at 42.4334, -72.2662.

When was Dana abandoned?

Dana was abandoned in 1938.

How many ghost towns are in Worcester County?

Worcester County, Massachusetts has 16 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.

Sources and licences

Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.