Staying Fit
St Mary Lake, Glacier National Park, Montana, USA
Michael Wheatley / Alamy Stock Photo
Historical landmarks across the country are facing a number of threats to their existence — from termites to erosion to neglect — but preservationists are trying to raise their profile to prevent their demise.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation annually releases its list of disappearing treasures. Over the past 36 years, 350 sites, including Antietam National Battlefield and the Ellis Island National Monument, have been listed as endangered. The NTHP has saved 95 percent of them.
Here are eight historical sites that are in danger of extinction, including some that have been recently highlighted by the National Trust, plus what’s being done to save them and tips to visit before it’s too late.
AARP Membership— $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal
Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine.
Share Your Experience: What historic site near you would you like to see saved? Tell us in the comments.
Jump to Section
Jamestown, Virginia
Ryan M. Kelly/AFP via Getty Images
Why it’s important: Established in 1607, Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in North America.
Why it’s disappearing: One of the reasons the Virginia Company picked to settle in Jamestown was because it was surrounded by water, which aided defense strategies. Now the James River has become its biggest threat. The site was originally a peninsula but became an island about two centuries ago due to erosion carving it away from the mainland. Climate change has caused water levels in the region to rise about 1½ feet in the past 100 years, and those rates are expected to accelerate, threatening the low-lying portions of the island, including the James Fort.
What’s being done to save it: The Jamestown Rediscovery Foundation, a nonprofit working to preserve the site, has identified five strategies to battle the effects of climate change: Repair the seawall; elevate buildings; improve infrastructure; elevate roads, pathways and landscape; and install flood berms.
Fun fact: Jamestown has been a dig site since 1994, and excavations have uncovered most of the original James Fort, long considered lost to erosion. The excavations have yielded about 3 million artifacts.
Tips to visit: You can drive or take a free ferry to the settlement, and the nearby American Revolution Museum at Yorktown allows you to experience life as a soldier.
Century and Consumers buildings in Chicago
Century and Consumers Building in Chicago, Illinois.
Jack Crawford
Why they’re important: The neighboring skyscrapers were each built more than 100 years ago along State Street, which is home to several landmarks in downtown Chicago, and they are part of the architectural significance in the area known as the Loop.
Why they’re disappearing: The federal government bought the buildings in 2005 to use for office space, but plans never came to fruition, and they have been vacant ever since. Last year, federal officials announced a $52 million plan to demolish the skyscrapers, saying they pose a risk to the nearby Dirksen Federal Building.
What’s being done to save them: The Century and Consumers buildings got some national publicity this year when they were named on the National Trust’s list. To block demolition and encourage preservation, the Commission on Chicago Landmarks in April granted the buildings preliminary landmark status.
Fun fact: The Century Building was used as Jesse Jackson’s campaign headquarters during his 1984 run for president.
Tips to visit: One of the best ways to fully appreciate Chicago’s architectural legacy is by boat on one of the city’s river cruises.
Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church in Selma, Alabama
The Brown Chapel AME Church.
Jim West / Alamy
Why it’s important: The church was built in 1908 and was the starting point to the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery marches that were organized to support African Americans’ constitutional right to vote. The civil rights protests highlighted racial injustice and helped lead to the Voting Rights Act. On “Bloody Sunday” — March 7, 1965 — hundreds of Black protesters gathered outside the church to start the demonstration, defying the governor’s ban on protest marches.
Why it’s disappearing: The church has deteriorated, and structural repairs are needed to fix termite damage throughout the building.
What’s being done to save it: In 2021, the National Park Service provided a $1.3 million grant for repairs, including to the church’s electrical system, roof and cupola. The chapel has since received even more funding through grants, and the first phase of the restoration process is complete, but the church remains closed and isn’t expected to reopen for at least a year and a half.
Fun fact: President Joe Biden spoke at the Brown Chapel in 2020 and visited Selma again in March to mark the 58th anniversary of Bloody Sunday.
Tips to visit: Any Selma tour must include an emotional walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where police attacked unarmed civil rights demonstrators on Bloody Sunday.
Gurnet Light in Plymouth, Massachusetts
Gurnet Lighthouse and village of Gurnet Point aerial view in fall at the Plymouth Bay in Plymouth, Mass.
Wangkun Jia / Alamy
Why it’s important: The lighthouse, also known as Plymouth Light, was established in 1768, then rebuilt. The current 34-foot octagonal wooden structure dates back to 1842. In 1776, Hannah Thomas took over her husband’s post when he died, becoming the first female lighthouse keeper in America.
Why it’s disappearing: Since the advent of GPS and other technical advances, many lighthouses have struggled to obtain federal funding for preservation since they are no longer essential for navigation.
What’s being done to save it: Since Congress passed the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act in 2000, the General Services Administration has given away about 80 lighthouses and sold 70 at auction, raising more than $10 million. This year, Gurnet is among six lighthouses that are being offered at no cost to organizations that can maintain the site and make them available to the general public for educational, recreational, cultural or historical purposes.
Fun fact: The lighthouse, which sat near the edge of an eroding 45-foot cliff, was placed on rollers and moved back approximately 140 feet from its original site in 1998.
Tips to visit: The lighthouse is closed to the public but has been open for occasional special events. It can be seen by boat or from areas surrounding Plymouth Harbor.
Glacier National Park, Montana
Mountain glaciers at Glacier National Park in Montana.
Dinodia Photos / Alamy
Why it’s important: In 1910, President William Howard Taft made it the country’s 10th national park, preserving about 1 million acres of glaciers, meadows, valleys and lakes. In the park, there are six National Historic Landmarks that are recognized by the U.S. government: Going-to-the-Sun Road, Lake McDonald Lodge, Many Glacier Hotel, Granite Park Chalet, Sperry Chalet and the Two Medicine Store.
Why it’s disappearing: The park’s glaciers, which were at their largest at the end of the Little Ice Age around 1850, have started to retreat due to climate change. According to the National Park Service, every named glacier in the park got smaller from 1966 to 2015 — including some by more than 80 percent.
What’s being done to save it: Though it may be too late to save its glaciers, the park has tried to limit its contributions to the warming climate by using solar and hydroelectric power.
Fun fact: The park is home to 71 species of mammals and has more than 700 miles of hiking trails and 26 glaciers, the largest being Blackfoot Glacier at 0.7 square miles.
Tips to visit: The park’s glaciers can be difficult to see, so bring binoculars and use a park map to be able to differentiate between snowfields and glaciers. Late August and early September, when the winter’s snow has melted, is the best time to see them.
National Negro Opera Company in Pittsburgh
Exterior of William 'Woogie' Harris's house, and former home of Mary Cardwell Dawson, director of National Negro Opera Company in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Charles 'Teenie' Harris/Carnegie Museum of Art/Getty Images
Why it’s important: In Pittsburgh’s predominantly Black Homewood neighborhood, this Victorian-style house — which was built in the 19th century and purchased by Black millionaire William “Woogie” Harris in 1930 — became the headquarters of the first African American opera company in the United States. The National Negro Opera Company was active from the 1940s to 1960s and was founded by Mary Cardwell Dawson, who wanted to provide opportunities to Black singers and bring opera performances to African American communities. Though the company toured nationally, its home was 7101 Apple St.
Why it’s disappearing: The vacant house has been severely deteriorating for decades. Jonnet Solomon, a local businesswoman, bought the property for $18,000 in 2000 and has been working with others to try to restore it and convert it to a museum.
What’s being done to save it: Since it was named one of the National Trust’s most endangered historic places in 2020, the house has received more than $2 million in funding, and a groundbreaking for its restoration was held last year. More funding is needed to complete the project.
Fun fact: Celebrities including Lena Horne, Count Basie, Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Joe Louis and Roberto Clemente either stayed at or frequented the house.
Tips to visit: The Homewood Experience has an arts and culture self-guided tour of the neighborhood that includes a stop by the National Negro Opera Company.
More From AARP
4 of the Best Summer Vacations Right Here in the U.S.
Take me out to the ballgame or a beach or an amusement park. Wherever you go, a vacation is the cure for the summertime blues
8 Inventions You’ve Probably Used That Were Inspired by Love
Acts of love have repeatedly made the world a better place, even for those outside the relationship
Travel-Hacking Queen
How to get from here to there without spending a dime