The National Trust for Historic Preservation released its 2025 list of 11 most endangered historic sites, marking the first time the list has a theme. The theme commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, focusing on sites important to the idea that all people are created equal.
A Themed List for a Historic Anniversary
The list is released annually since 1988. This year, each site will receive a one-time grant of $25,000 from the National Trust. The list highlights sites threatened by neglect, development, environmental factors, or political changes.
Carol Quillen, president of the National Trust, stated: "We chose to focus this year on sites important to the idea that all people are created equal." She added that the list protests erasure, where history is forgotten or intentionally erased.
The 2025 List of Most Endangered Historic Sites
Alabama
- Ben Moore Hotel, Montgomery – A historic hotel for Black travelers during Jim Crow, now structurally deteriorated.
California
- Tule Lake Segregation Center, Modoc County – Largest Japanese-American incarceration camp during WWII; only a small portion is protected.
- Angel Island Immigration Station, Tiburon – Former immigration port for Asian immigrants; faces physical and political threats.
Massachusetts
- Swansea Friends Meeting House, Somerset – Oldest surviving Quaker meeting house in Massachusetts, structurally damaged.
Michigan
- Detroit Association of Women's Clubs, Detroit – One of the first Black organizations to own its headquarters; closed due to water pipe damage.
New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Utah
- Greater Chaco Cultural Landscape – Sacred indigenous site threatened by proposed oil and gas development.
New York
- Women's Rights National Historical Park, Seneca Falls – Deferred maintenance backlog over $10 million.
- Stonewall National Monument, New York City – LGBTQ+ history site; Pride flag was removed and later restored after a lawsuit.
Pennsylvania
- The President's House Site, Philadelphia – Archaeological site of early presidents' home; exhibition materials on slavery removed by NPS.
South Carolina
- Hanging Rock Revolutionary War Battlefield, Heath Springs – 1780 battlefield; only partly protected, facing development pressure.
Texas
- El Corazón Sagrado de la Iglesia de Jesús, Ruidosa – 1915 adobe church near proposed border wall expansion.