GUAM (May 20, 2010) – The National Trust for Historic Preservation has named the Pågat in Yigo, Guam as one of the 11 Most Endangered Historic Places of 2010. The announcement came from Guam Governor Felix Camacho, along with NTHP officials at the Hall of Governors/Latte of Freedom at the Richard J. Bordallo Governor’s Complex in Guam.
The island of Guam, the westernmost United States territory in the Pacific, is home to the Chamorro people who maintain a thriving culture dating back thousands of years. With the United States military’s announced plans for a massive buildup on the island, many residents are concerned about the potentially devastating impact on the island’s cultural resources, including one of Guam’s most treasured sites, the ancient Chamorro settlement of Pågat.
The Guam Preservation Trust was created in 1990 as a non-profit, public corporation governed by a Board of Directors. It is dedicated to preserving Guam’s historic sites and culture as well as educating the public about those issues. Although primarily tasked with restoring historic structures, which are listed in the Guam Register of Historic Places and/or the National Register of Historic Places, the GPT also funds various types of cultural preservation projects.
America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places has identified more than 200 threatened one-of-a-kind historic treasures since 1988. Whether these sites are urban districts or rural landscapes, Native American landmarks or 20th-century sports arenas, entire communities or single buildings, the list spotlights historic places across America that are threatened by neglect, insufficient funds, inappropriate development or insensitive public policy.
The designation has been a powerful tool for raising awareness and rallying resources to save endangered sites from every region of the country. At times, that attention has garnered public support to quickly rescue a treasured landmark; while in other instances, it has been the impetus of a long battle to save an important piece of our history. The list has been so successful in galvanizing preservation efforts across the country and rallying resources to save endangered places that, in just two decades, only seven sites have been lost.
