To Mark America’s 250th Birthday, See the Country’s ‘Most Endangered Historic Places’ You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

From a Revolutionary War battlefield to a civil rights-era safe haven, these historic sites are at risk, according to the latest list from the National Trust for Historic Preservation

Michele Debczak | Correspondent

May 22, 2026 4:20 p.m.

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Famous sites like Ellis Island and the Alamo attract millions of visitors a year. But most historic places in the United States are much less popular, facing the risk of falling into permanent disrepair.

Each year, the National Trust for Historic Preservation releases its list of most endangered historic places in an effort to bring attention to some of these hidden gems. The round-up for 2026 includes landmarks spanning the Revolutionary War to the civil rights movement, some of which are likely unfamiliar to all but the most serious history buffs.

In honor of the 250th anniversary of the U.S., the sites on this year’s list are intended to reflect the principle from the Declaration of Independence that all people are created equal. And the National Trust is awarding a one-time $25,000 grant to each endangered site to help fund “preservation-based planning and brick-and-mortar stabilization.”

We’ve highlighted four entries from the list that have earned their place in history.

Ben Moore Hotel // Montgomery, Alabama

During a time when much of the South was hostile to Black Americans, the Ben Moore Hotel in Montgomery, Alabama, served as a safe haven. Built in 1945 and officially opened in 1951, owner Matthew Franklin Moore named the establishment after his father, who had formerly been enslaved, per the National Trust. It quickly became a gathering place for Black clientele to dine, sleep and organize in peace during the civil rights era.

The rooftop was home to the Afro Club, which saw such legendary acts as B.B. King, Little Richard, Billie Holiday and Tina Turner during its heyday. The ground floor hosted the Malden Brothers Barber Shop, where it’s believed that Martin Luther King Jr. received one of his last haircuts before his assassination in 1968, reported Pat Duggins for Alabama Public Radio.

The historic site has since fallen into disrepair, but there’s hope for its future. In 2025, a nonprofit called the Conservation Fund purchased the building with plans to renovate and preserve it. The conservation efforts have backing from other organizations and individuals, as well as the city of Montgomery.

Hanging Rock Revolutionary War Battlefield // Heath Springs, South Carolina

The Battle of Hanging Rock was a pivotal moment in the Revolutionary War. Following the siege of Charleston, South Carolina, in the spring of 1780, British forces established outposts in the area to maintain their foothold in the Southern colonies. American troops and Catawba warriors attacked their settlement at Hanging Rock, South Carolina, on August 6 later that year, leading to a bloody, three-hour battle in the brutal summer heat. While the Patriots ultimately retreated and accounted for most of the casualties, it’s remembered as an American victory and a significant leap toward weakening British forces in the South.

And it left a mark on the memory of a future president. A 13-year-old Andrew Jackson served at the Battle of Hanging Rock, according to the American Battlefield Trust, by tending horses.

The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Despite this, it receives less care and attention than other battlefields from the era. “Only portions of the core battlefield are protected and open to the public, and the area is anticipating population growth and increasing development pressures,” according to the National Trust.

El Corazón Sagrado de la Iglesia de Jesús // Ruidosa, Texas

Located in far west Texas on the Mexican border, El Corazón Sagrado de la Iglesia de Jesús (the Sacred Heart of the Church of Jesus) welcomed Mexican and Mexican American worshippers from both sides of the Rio Grande River. Built by local laborers working under the guidance of the town priest, the adobe structure was completed in 1915. Today, it’s thought to have one of the largest remaining adobe arches in the state.

“What makes this small adobe church so significant is that it’s a foundation for the rich history of a once-thriving Latinx farming community on the Rio Grande, where generations gathered for baptisms, quinceañeras, weddings, funerals, and countless celebrations,” Martha Stafford, board member of the Friends of the Ruidosa Church, says per Latinos in Heritage Conservation.

The Friends of the Ruidosa Church formed to support the historic site, which has been vacant since the 1950s, but its future remains uncertain, in part due to proposed construction of a new U.S. border wall nearby, per Marfa Public Radio’s Travis Bubenik.

Angel Island Immigration Station // Tiburon, California

Sometimes called the Ellis Island of the West Coast, Angel Island Immigration Station in the San Francisco Bay served as the gateway to America for hundreds of thousands of immigrants in the early 20th century. That introduction often included mistreatment. Interrogations, detentions and family separations plagued the mostly Asian immigrants who passed through the station during its 30 years of operation.

Poems carved into the walls speak to this history. One inscription from a Chinese immigrant named Chan reads:

America has power, but not justice.

In prison, we were victimized as if we were guilty.

Given no opportunity to explain, it was really brutal.

I bow my head in reflection but there is nothing I can do.

Angel Island Immigration Station was named a National Historic Landmark in 1997, and portions of it have been restored and reopened to the public in the decades since. However, the National Trust warns that its preservation is under threat from “physical, environmental, political, and economic factors,” and that further funding and programming is needed to maintain the site.

Here are the seven other locations from the National Trust’s 2026 list of endangered historic places:

• Tule Lake Segregation Center // Modoc County, California
• Swansea Friends Meeting House // Somerset, Massachusetts
• Detroit Association of Women’s Clubs // Detroit
• Greater Chaco Cultural Landscape // New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and Utah
• Women’s Rights National Historical Park // Seneca Falls, New York
• Stonewall National Monument // New York City
• The President’s House Site // Philadelphia

Michele Debczak | Read More

Michele Debczak is a writer and editor based in Brooklyn, New York. She appears in seasons four through six of History Channel’s “The Food That Built America,” and her work has been featured in Mental Floss, IndieWire, Eater and Vice.