West Danville History Project

The West Danville History Project committee met for the second time today at the Danville Historical Society building.  We are moving ahead, focusing first on the school, but will be looking for all sorts of information, including photographs, that  have to do with West Danville.  We have a few photographs of the school building when it was on the other side of the pond at the junction of Route 2 and Keiser Pond Road, but would like to have more, or of it when it was being moved, after the move, or interior pictures.  We would also like to hear from anyone who went to school there.  

It's surprising how few people who went to school in West Danville are still living in here.  We hope to track some down and record their memories of those school days.  We are interested in hearing from people who grew up here or lived here through events such as the bridge being built, the 1938 hurricane, when the road was paved, when the railroad was running, or about the sawmill, grist mill or first gas stations; then there was the stone sheds, the Farrington farm, the Chandler house up on the hill, Lake View Farm that used to be on what is now Lemay Road, Lakeside House that was at the head of what is now North Shore Road - there are so many places and events that we haven't even begun to gather information about, we are just hopeful anyone who either has first-hand knowledge or knows someone who might, or even if you have heard stories from relatives or friends, we are interested. 

If you think of something, no matter how trivial it may seem to you, it could be very important to us, so please get in touch with one of the project committee members:  Patty Conley (skylinerdh@gmail.com), Dot Larrabee (dlarrabee78@gmail.com), Jane Larrabee (larrabeevt@gmail.com) or me (janebrown@fairpoint.net).  We'll scan your photos and get them back to you right away, or contact you personally to hear your stories, so start reminiscing and share your memories with us.

Do you remember when Route 2 heading east out of West Danville looked like this?  This top picture was taken in 1956.  Below is a picture taken in 2009.  The little hill and the house where the Brown family lived (Mr. Brown was the mailman for many years) were both removed when the Route 2 was widened and the new bridge was put in (lower picture).  In front of the VW "bug" was where the big two-story store was that Fleming and Julia Milligan ran for years, and later the Ledden family ran it.  It, too, was a casualty of the road construction.  These are the places and events we are hoping to find out more about, and I'm hoping some of my readers will help.

Our mild weather is settling the snow, but the pond remains solidly frozen except for a small section of the narrows between the big and middle ponds.  The flow of water is swift enough there so it doesn't freeze as quickly and is always one of the first spots to open in the spring.  It's also where snowmobilers risk getting a dunking when they ride through that narrow space.  Fortunately, the water isn't very deep there - but it's mighty cold, and very dangerous to ride there.  The ice is nowhere near safe for snow machines or even walking on yet, and with the milder weather for the next few days, the pond could open up again. It's hard to predict.