Wilson concludes that Dana connected himself with Brook Farm not primarily because of a commitment to its philosophy, but because it offered him a practical way of achieving his goal of a continued education even though he did not have the money for college. Whatever his motivation, Dana believed strongly enough in the experiment (possibly in its financial prospects) to purchase, at a cost of $500 each, three of the twenty-four shares in the formal association. (It is not clear whether Dana actually borrowed the $1,500 or whether this amounted to a pledge as his share of the mortgage on the property.)
Among the members of the Brook Farm cooperative were the Macdaniel family from Maryland, consisting of a widowed mother, her son, and two daughters. Dana fell in love with the youngest member of the family, Eunice, and they were married in New York on 2 March 1846. On the night of 3 March, while the newlyweds were still away from the phalanx, the almost-completed main house was destroyed by fire due to the carelessness of the carpenters.....
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