Dango

Dango is a ghost town in southwestern Jackson County, Kentucky, situated where Raccoon Creek meets Horse Lick Creek, the latter of which drains into the Rockcastle River. The area once supported heavy settlement and farming, making it a genuine rural community before it faded into obscurity.

Visitors who make the trip will find little in the way of standing structures, but the creek confluence setting retains historical character. Nearby stands the Carpenter School, a historic landmark thought to take its name from Carpenter Ridge, roughly two miles to the north. Dango sits about eight miles southwest of McKee and less than three miles northeast of Loam, itself another ghost town, lending the area an air of layered, quiet history.

Access is rural and best attempted in dry months when back roads are passable. This is a place for those drawn to forgotten landscapes and creek-bottom history rather than developed amenities — bring your own sense of direction and expect no signage or facilities on the ground.