List of threatened historic sites in the United States
Encyclopedia
This article provides a List of threatened historic sites in the United States. A site is deemed historic if it has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places
or an official State or Local landmark list. While there are many historic places in the U.S. that are not listed in an official government listing of landmarks, the purpose of this article is to report threats only to government-listed landmarks. A site is deemed threatened for this article if there is verifiable information that it is threatened. Documentation may include:
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
or an official State or Local landmark list. While there are many historic places in the U.S. that are not listed in an official government listing of landmarks, the purpose of this article is to report threats only to government-listed landmarks. A site is deemed threatened for this article if there is verifiable information that it is threatened. Documentation may include:
- credible reports in publications, including news articles
- listing on various watch organizations' lists
United States sites which are both historic and threatened
- Fort JacksonFort Jackson, LouisianaFort Jackson is a decommissioned masonry fort located some up river from the mouth of the Mississippi River in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. It was constructed as a coastal defense of New Orleans between 1822 and 1832, and was a battle site in the American Civil War. It is a National Historic...
and Fort St. PhilipFort St. PhilipFort St. Philip is a decommissioned masonry fort located on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, about up river from its mouth in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana...
in Plaquemines Parish, LouisianaPlaquemines Parish, LouisianaPlaquemines Parish is the parish with the most combined land and water area in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Pointe à la Hache...
were heavily damaged in Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. They are forts that were battlegrounds in the American Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
and are National Historic Landmarks. Both are listed by the Civil War Preservation Trust in 2006 as among the Top 10 Endangered Civil War Battlefields.
- Great Falls PortageGreat Falls PortageGreat Falls Portage is the site on the Missouri River that was an arduous portage site for the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1805. On the upriver trip, the 18 mile portage took 31 days.It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1966....
, a National Historic LandmarkNational Historic LandmarkA National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
site in Montana is threatened by an electric power generating station.
- Top 10 Endangered Battlefields in 2005
- The upper post area of Fort Snelling, a National Historic LandmarkNational Historic LandmarkA National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, is listed with a threat level of "emergency" by the National Historic Landmarks Program and was named as one of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. While the original fort buildings dating back to the 1820s have been reconstructed and are operated as a historic site by the Minnesota Historical SocietyMinnesota Historical SocietyThe Minnesota Historical Society is a private, non-profit educational and cultural institution dedicated to preserving the history of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was founded by the territorial legislature in 1849, almost a decade before statehood. The Society is named in the Minnesota...
, newer buildings built after the 1880s are deteriorating rapidly.
- The SS United StatesSS United StatesSS United States is a luxury passenger liner built in 1952 for the United States Lines designed to capture the trans-Atlantic speed record....
, a passenger liner built in 1952 for the United States LinesUnited States LinesUnited States Lines was a transatlantic shipping company that operated cargo services from 1921 to 1989, and ocean liners until 1969—most famously the SS United States.-1920s:...
. She captured the Blue RibandBlue RibandThe Blue Riband is an unofficial accolade given to the passenger liner crossing the Atlantic Ocean in regular service with the record highest speed. The term was borrowed from horse racing and was not widely used until after 1910. Under the unwritten rules, the record is based on average speed...
on its maiden voyage in 1952 — with the fastest eastbound and westbound transatlantic crossings record of three days, twelve hours, and twelve minutes. To this day she holds the fastest westbound transit record, some 57 years later. The ship's fate is unknown and has been in disregard for many years since her retirement in 1969.
- Barton AcademyBarton AcademyBarton Academy is a historic Greek Revival school building located on Government Street in Mobile, Alabama, United States. It was under construction from 1836 to 1839 and was designed by architects James H. Dakin, Charles B. Dakin, and James Gallier. Gallier and the Dakin brothers also designed...
, a Greek RevivalGreek Revival architectureThe Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
school building in Mobile, AlabamaMobile, AlabamaMobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
. It was built 1836-39 to the designs of architects James H. DakinJames H. DakinJames Harrison Dakin , American architect, was the son of James and Lucy Harrison Dakin of Hudson, New York, and born in Northeast Township. He was seventh in line from the immigrant ancestor, Thomas Dakin, of Concord, Massachusetts, through Simon, of the third generation, who went to Putnam...
, Charles B. Dakin, and James GallierJames GallierJames Gallier was a prominent New Orleans architect.He was born James Gallagher in Ravensdale, County Louth, Ireland in 1798. He worked in England during his early career, designing the Godmanchester Chinese Bridge which crosses a mill stream of the River Great Ouse in 1827, and then working on the...
. First listed on the Alabama Historical Commission's "Places in Peril" in 2005 due to the threat of demolition by neglect, it was re-listed in 2009.
Organizations which note threatened status
- National Park ServiceNational Park ServiceThe National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
of the United States monitors the status of National Historic LandmarkNational Historic LandmarkA National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
sites, many of which are privately owned - World Monuments FundWorld Monuments FundWorld Monuments Fund is a private, international, non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of historic architecture and cultural heritage sites around the world through fieldwork, advocacy, grantmaking, education, and training....
covers a top 100 list worldwide, several of which in the United States. For example, following Hurricane Katrina, it lists New Orleans as a whole, which includes many NRHP sites. Of the NRHPs in New Orleans, some in low-lying areas were damaged by Katrina and remain threatened while others in the French QuarterFrench QuarterThe French Quarter, also known as Vieux Carré, is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. When New Orleans was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city was originally centered on the French Quarter, or the Vieux Carré as it was known then...
and elsewhere were not and are not. - Civil War Preservation TrustCivil War Preservation TrustThe Civil War Trust is a charitable organization whose primary focus is in the preservation of American Civil War battlefields. The Civil War Trust also promotes educational programs and heritage tourism initiatives to inform the public of the war's history and the fundamental conflicts that...
- The Alabama Historical CommissionAlabama Historical CommissionThe Alabama Historical Commission is the historic preservation agency for the U. S. state of Alabama. The agency was created by an act of the state legislature in 1966 with a mission of safeguarding Alabama’s historic buildings and sites. It consists of twenty members appointed by the state...
names Alabama's top 10 threatened historic sites in their yearly "Places in Peril" listing. - The Northwest Georgia Threatened Historic Sites ProjectNorthwest Georgia Threatened Historic Sites ProjectThe Northwest Georgia Threatened Historic Sites project was established in 2005 as part of Kennesaw State University’s Public History Program . The Northwest Georgia Threatened Historic Sites Project was developed to promote historic preservation by identifying, documenting, and publicizing...
identified 19 threatened historic sites in Georgia, some of which may be NRHPs. - National Trust for Historic PreservationNational Trust for Historic PreservationThe National Trust for Historic Preservation is an American member-supported organization that was founded in 1949 by congressional charter to support preservation of historic buildings and neighborhoods through a range of programs and activities, including the publication of Preservation...
lists America's 11 Most Endangered Historic PlacesAmerica's Most Endangered PlacesEach year since 1987, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has released a list of places they consider the most endangered in America. The number of sites included on the list has varied, with the most recent lists settling on 11...
. - Preservation Maryland identifies a top 10 Endangered Maryland Sites each year. 2009 listings are here, and include Flora A. Price (skipjack)Flora A. Price (skipjack)The Flora A. Price is a skipjack that is listed on Preservation Maryland's 2008 list of most endangered historic sites. According to Preservation Maryland: The ship is now located in Dorchester County....
.