(SitNews) Ketchikan, Alaska - The National Trust for Historic Preservation today unveiled its 2013 list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places®, an annual list that spotlights important examples of the nation's architectural, cultural and natural heritage that are at risk of destruction or irreparable damage. More than 240 sites have been on the list over its 26-year history, and only a handful of listed sites have been lost.

Kake Cannery
Photo Credit: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division

This year's list includes the Kake Cannery which is located in the remote village of Kake in Southeast Alaska. The Kake Cannery is one of the only canneries in the United States listed as a National Historic Landmark. It is a large complex comprised of several wooden buildings situated on land held in trust by the Organized Village of Kake (OVK), a federally recognized Native American tribe.

Kake Cannery played a key role in the development of the Alaskan salmon-canning industry during the first half of the 20th century. The cannery attracted workers from many foreign countries, and was notable for its multi-ethnic - yet segregated - workforce.

Now, the departure of the canning industry has left Kake Cannery to an uncertain future. Two of the three main cannery buildings have recently collapsed due to high winds and heavy snow loads, and other buildings in the complex are deteriorating rapidly. Immediate action is needed to stabilize and reinforce the structural systems of the existing buildings.

"For more than a quarter century, our list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places has called attention to threatened one-of-a-kind treasures throughout the nation and has galvanized local preservationists to help save them," said Stephanie Meeks, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "From Gay Head Lighthouse on Martha's Vineyard to Kake Cannery in Alaska, to the beloved one and two-room schoolhouses of Montana, this year's list reflects the diversity of America, its historic places, and the variety of threats they face. As it has over the past 26 years, we hope this year's list inspires people to speak out for the important places in their own communities that help to define our nation's past – and enrich its future."

The 2013 list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places®:

Abyssinian Meeting House, Portland, Maine.
Astrodome, Houston, Texas.
Chinatown House, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
Gay Head Lighthouse, Aquinnah, Mass.
Historic Rural Schoolhouses of Montana, Statewide.
James River, James City County, Va.
Kake Cannery, Kake, Alaska.
Mountain View Black Officers' Club, Fort Huachuca, Ariz.
San Jose Church, Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Village of Mariemont, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Worldport Terminal at JFK Airport, Jamaica, New York

Edited by Mary Kauffman, SitNews

Source of News: 

National Trust for Historic Preservation
www.PreservationNation.org

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded nonprofit organization, works to save America's historic places to enrich our future.

 

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Ketchikan, Alaska

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