UNITED STATES
Use today’s MapMaker Interactive map to navigate these important parts of our heritage.
Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers Toolkit.

Discussion Ideas
- Many of the endangered historic sites address cultural and ethnic diversity in the United States. Can students identify these cultural markers?
- Azikiwe-Nkrumah Hall at Lincoln University. This site is the oldest building on the campus of Lincoln University and the site of the first degree-granting institution in the world to educate former slaves.
- Bears Ears. This site includes archaeological sites, cliff dwellings, petroglyphs and ancient roads that tell stories of diverse people over the course of 12,000 years of human history.
- El Segundo Barrio and Chihuahuita. These neighborhoods served as the “Ellis Island of the Border,” playing host to Mexican families seeking a better life in the United States.
- Lions Municipal Golf Course. This site is often recognized as the first desegregated golf course in the South.
- The preservation of two sites on the list, San Francisco’s Embarcadero and Milwaukee’s Mitchell Park Domes, relies on “alternative use” and “creative re-use” of the structures. Can you brainstorm some creative ways these historic buildings could be reused?
- Hotels, restaurants, or other hospitality venues?
- City athletic parks?
- Science centers?
- Retail centers?
- Amusement parks?
- Office space?
- Museums?
- Have students read through the short list of endangered historic sites. Which sites would they prioritize for preservation? Why?
- Issues you may want to consider:
- How much would preservation activity cost?
- What is the environmental cost of preservation activity? What is the environmental cost of not taking action to preserve the site?
- What communities or individuals would benefit from the preservation activity?
- Is the preservation activity economically and environmentally sustainable?
- Issues you may want to consider:
- Can students identify any local historic sites? Consider the cultural, ethnic, physical, or representational history of your region.
- Is there a building with a high-water mark from an historic flood?
- Does a natural or man-made site (such as a river or building) have historical significance to regional settlement?
- Does a natural landmark serve as an important ecological site, such as a lake being a stopover for migrating birds?
- Was any local building the site for a local civil rights or social justice event?
- Is there a local building that was designed or constructed by an important historic or artistic figure?
- Does a building or other site serve as a representative of a technological achievement?
TEACHERS TOOLKIT
National Trust for Historic Preservation: America’s Most Endangered Historical Sites
Reblogged this on Ripper's Chatter and commented:
This is a great geography lesson and environmental lesson.