Native American capital among 11 most endangered historic sites
In Virginia, members of the Monacan tribe are embroiled in a battle over plans to build a water pumping station on a site they believe is their ancestral capital.
If two Virginia counties have their way, a low-lying stub of forest jutting into the James River will host a small water pumping station to meet the needs of their growing populations.
But a determined coalition of Native Americans and preservationists have been battling the $10 million project, arguing that it would destroy Rassawek, the ancient capital of the Monacan tribe.
Today the National Trust for Historic Preservation announced that the embattled peninsula is one of the nation’s 11 most endangered historic sites. The listing is “final proof that the eyes of the nation are on the fate of Rassawek,” said Greg Werkheiser of Cultural Heritage Partners, the tribe’s legal counsel.
In 1607, just 10 days after English explorer John Smith and
