 The National Trust for Historic Preservation has named the Native American capital of Rassowick to their list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. Its threatened destruction by a government project has drawn the eyes of the nation. Each year, our America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places list sheds light on important examples of our nation's heritage that are at risk of destruction or irreparable damage. The National Trust believes that Rassowick deserves protection and preservation, honoring the history and the future of the Monican people. Archaeologists have already identified 22 sites here, revealing a civilization dating back 5,000 years through 200 generations. Rassowick holds the key to understanding Virginia Native life before colonization, especially for the Monican people. This 400-year-old map drawn by John Smith as he explored Virginia shows known Monican towns, villages, and burial mounds. When Europeans arrived in Virginia in 1607, Monicans thrived along the James River from Richmond all the way to the mountains. A native man named Amarolek described Rassowick as the Monican's chiefest town to which all others paid tribute. Located at the confluence of the James and Ravana rivers, this vibrant capital included bark-covered houses, a large chief's house, workshops, religious buildings, and fields of squash, corn, and beans. Rassowick is not only a historic site, it is a burial ground to countless ancestors and a sacred place for the modern Monican Indian nation, who received federal recognition only two years ago. And, you know, we say sacred because our ancestors did live here. Would you want your great-grandparents dug up and removed and disturbed? You know, I went through that one time with a site that was dug up and we had a mass reburial, and that was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. You know, I don't want to go through that again. I don't know if I could, really, because it took such a toll. Now Rassowick faces destruction if Louisa and Fluvana counties build a planned water pump station and pipeline. Despite knowing about the importance of Rassowick when they chose the site, many leaders have spent years trying to push their project over the objections of the tribe and concerned citizens from across the United States. The project became even more controversial when serious irregularities came to light regarding studies conducted at Rassowick by the county's archaeologist who was then disqualified by the state. In June, over 12,000 organizations and individuals asked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers not to approve the project at Rassowick. By contrast, one person wrote in support of the project. Numerous national tribal organizations, environmental and historic preservation groups, and archaeologists have expressed concerns about the proposed destruction of Rassowick. Preservation Virginia became aware of Rassowick in 2014. Since that time, we've advocated for this site sacred to the monacon nation. This year, in 2020, we determined that there needed to be greater awareness of threats to this sacred site. The tribe is not anti-people getting water. The tribe is not anti-development. The tribe is just anti-development at the cost of digging up their ancestors and destroying the archaeological record. Unfortunately, the tribe had been lied to about whether or not there were viable alternatives. The proponents of this project have 13 or 14 other options in which to draw water from the James. To put it in context that a lot of white people who love history can understand, Jamestown was smaller than this. This lasted many, many centuries more than Jamestown did. And yet we have been excavating Jamestown carefully for over 80 years. The plan here is to spend three months digging up the chief's ancestors, putting them, if you'll excuse me for saying this, in cardboard boxes and then putting a pump station in. We got to preserve this spot and, you know, and we believe that if we can't protect this spot, there's no place in Virginia safe. The sacred and historical site deserves proper preservation and recognition. How can you help save Rasuik? Please visit culturalheritagepartners.com slash saverasuik for easy ways to ask elected officials to move the pump station and save this national treasure.