The National Trust for Historic Preservation today unveiled its 2024 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, an annual ranking that spotlights significant sites of American history that are at risk of destruction or irreparable damage. Among these are Caribbean sites: Eatonville, Florida and Estate Whim Museum, Frederiksted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Estate Whim holds a special place in my heart after I visited the estate in June 2023. This enigmatic and beautiful site was meaningful to me because I would have loved to explore the Museum’s Research Library & Archives, but mostly because, for me, it stands as a testament to the resilience and dignity of the survivors of the boundless tragedy of slavery, who built the remarkable structures that are now in danger of collapsing, erasing yet another aide-mémoire of a history of colonialism and oppression. See information below from PR Newswire and the Weather Channel.
“This year’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places list shows how our collective idea of American history has expanded in recent years, along with our ideas about which places are worth saving,” said Carol Quillen, President and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “Seventy-five years ago, widely recognized sites of national history were largely confined to the East Coast and ‘historic preservation’ was synonymous with the great architecture of our Founding Fathers. That foundation is still important, but today there’s more recognition that history ought to help us tell the full American story, including that of groups and places previously left at the margins. That expanded perspective is reflected throughout this year’s list, particularly in the three sites located outside of the contiguous United States.”
Since first debuting in 1988, the list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places has proven to be a highly effective tool for shining a light on the threats facing our nation’s greatest treasures. Due to the efforts of the National Trust and its passionate supporters, the 11 Most Endangered list has often provided the decisive force needed to preserve important cultural landmarks. Now in its 37th year, the ongoing initiative has galvanized public support behind more than 350 sites to date with only a handful lost.
The 2024 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places (alphabetical)
[. . .] Eatonville, Florida
Eatonville, Florida, was one of the first self-governing all-Black municipalities in the United States, and the hometown of iconic author, folklorist, and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston. Many historic buildings in Eatonville need investment, rehabilitation, and protection from development pressures. Efforts to celebrate the community’s significance and advocate for preservation of the town’s historic resources are ongoing and in need of increased funding and support.
Estate Whim Museum, Frederiksted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
Established during the colonization of St. Croix by Denmark, Estate Whim was a plantation producing cotton and sugar for export. The lives and legacies of those enslaved by plantation owners and those who continued to labor there for meager wages for a century after emancipation are inextricably tied to the site, which now hosts a museum, library and archives, and public programming. Repeated hurricanes have damaged many of Estate Whim Museum’s historic buildings and structures, and the site steward needs support and resources to move forward with repairs. [. . .]
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded nonprofit organization, works to save America’s historic places. SavingPlaces.org and www.SavingPlaces.org/11Most.
For full article, see https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/americas-11-most-endangered-historic-places2024-list-unveiled-302132557.html
See video at the Weather Channel: https://weather.com/travel/video/these-are-americas-most-endangered-historic-sites
[Top photo by Olasee Davis. Accessed via https://stthomassource.com/content/2023/04/11/open-forum-lets-set-aside-our-differences-to-save-the-whim-museum/.]
The National Trust for Historic Preservation today unveiled its 2024 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, an annual ranking that spotlights significant sites of American history that are at risk of destruction or irreparable damage. Among these are Caribbean sites: Eatonville, Florida and Estate Whim Museum, Frederiksted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Estate Whim holds
