11
Most
Endangered
|
Common
Questions
|
Nomination
Form
|
1999
Engagement
Calendar
Common Questions
This list of “America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places” is an alarm bell. Our heritage is at risk, and it’s up to us to save it.
The
list
is
a
call
to
all
Americans
to
wake
up
and
look
around.
Not
every
community
has
an
Independence
Hall
or
a
Mount
Vernon,
but
every
community
has
some
landmark
that
makes
it
a
unique
and
special
place
These places help us remember where we’ve been, and that knowledge helps us make wiser choices about where to go from here
Saving our heritage isn’t someone else’s job; unless all of us become aware of its importance and take action to preserve it, our past won't have a future
The
list
is
a
snapshot
of
the
great
diversity
of
our
heritage
and
the
wide
range
of
threats
it
faces.
This
year,
historic
places
ranging
from
castles
to
bridges
to
wide
open
spaces
are
threatened
by
everything
from
vandalism
to
shortsighted
public
policy
to
insect
infestation
Does
the
listing
make
a
difference?
While
the
listing
is
a
dubious
honor,
an
11
Most
listing
has
been
pivotal
in
helping
sites
achieve
some
notable
victories
through
the
list
since
it
was
first
issued
in
1988.
Some examples from previous years:
Virginia
City,
Montana
(listed
in
1992,
1993,
1994)
•
intact
19th-century
mining
town
•
owner
could
no
longer
afford
to
maintain
buildings
•
threat:
deterioration,
possible
dispersal
of
collection
•
saved:
Montana
legislature
appropriated
funds
to
purchase
site
Wentworth
by
the
Sea
Hotel,
New
Hampshire
(listed
in
1996)
•
Victorian
resort
hotel
•
delegates
housed
here
during
conference
that
ended
1905
Russo-Japanese
War
•
threat:
owner
wanted
to
delomish
building,
build
houses
on
land
•
saved:
new
preservation-minded
owner
bought
it
Does
it
come
with
money?
Unfortunately,
listing
does
not
insure
funding,
however
it
has
proven
to
be
a
successful
tool
to
rally
resources
from
individuals
and
organizations
to
save
endangered
historic
sites.
Why
11
sites?
When
the
list
was
started
in
1988
they
couldn’t
narrow
the
list
down
to
10,
so
it
became
11
and
it
hasn't
changed.
It
also
reminds
us
about
sites
that
are
facing
their
11th
hour.
How
are
the
11
sites
chosen?
It’s
a
nomination
process
and
local
residents
or
local
or
state
organizations
submit
the
application
and
the
letters
of
support
to
the
National
Trust.
The
selection
process
involves
further
investigation
by
National
Trust
staff
and
advisors,
site
visits
(if
a
Trust
staff
person
has
not
recently
visited)
and
then
a
committee
of
National
Trust
senior
staff
(including
president
Richard
Moe)
select
a
list
to
symbolize
the
diversity
of
America’s
heritage
and
the
wide-range
of
threats
our
historic
resources
face.