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Tuesday, April 12th, 2016

Drowning History: Sea Level Rise Threatens US Historic Sites

Author:     michelle r. smith
Source:     abc News/Associated Press
Publication Date:     Apr 11, 2016, 12:57 AM ET
 Link: Drowning History: Sea Level Rise Threatens US Historic Sites
Stephan:   My family roots on my mother's side go back to the early 1600s; I grew up in a house built in 1653  on the shores of Mobjack Bay. Much of my life has been tied up with the Tidewater and Piedmont of Virginia. I wrote a movie for Colonial Williamsburg about the colonial town and its time, worked for several newspapers in Virginia, and have written extensively about the Commonwealth's history and particularly founder George Mason, political mentor of Washington, Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe, and the philosophical force behind the Bill of Rights. The Eastern seaboard was the context for much of my life until I was in my thirties. And what I see happening to it is just tragic and heartbreaking. As matters stand now, as this story describes, much of American history is about to be submerged and lost to future generations.  How strange it will be when the Boston Harbor where the revolution began, and Yorktown where Cornwallis surrendered to Washington and it ended, are both lost to the sea.
Bowen's Wharf Newport, R.I. Credit: AP

Bowen’s Wharf Newport, R.I.
Credit: AP

With scientists forecasting sea levels to rise by anywhere from several inches to several feet by 2100, historic structures and coastal heritage sites around the world are under threat. Some sites and artifacts could become submerged.

Scientists, historic preservationists, architects and public officials are meeting this week in Newport, Rhode Island — one of the threatened areas — to discuss the problem, how to adapt to rising seas and preserve historic structures.

“Any coastal town that has significant historic properties is going to be facing the challenge of protecting those properties from increased water and storm activity,” said Margot Nishimura, of the Newport Restoration Foundation, the nonprofit group hosting the conference.

Federal authorities have encouraged people to elevate structures in low-lying areas, but that poses challenges in dense neighborhoods of centuries-old homes built around central brick chimneys, Nishimura said, especially ones where preservationists are trying to keep the character intact.

Many of the most threatened sites in North America lie along the East Coast […]

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