preservation to include mount vernon in its 2018 list of america's 11 most endangered historic sites. the mount vernon's ladies association hosted this event, it is about 20 minutes. >> to the national historic trust for preservation. to those who serve in the local state and federal government. to the esteemed members of the press. to mount vernon leadership and staff. and last, and ultimately most importantly, to my fellow mount vernon ladies association's here with us today.

ladies, will you please rise. from delaware, vice region from rhode island, vice region from south carolina, vice region from wisconsin, and former 21st regent from the state of maryland mrs. lucas. thank you, ladies. [applause] >> again, good afternoon and welcome to george washington's mount vernon on this important day. my name is sarah miller colston and i am the 22nd legion of the mount vernon association. the national women's organization, which has privately owned and operated george washington's estate since its purchase from the washington family in 1858. the mount vernon ladies association is a nonprofit organization, having operated continuously for the last 160 plus years.

today it remains the oldest historic preservation institution in the country. the ladies association is neither sponsored by, nor beholden to the federal government, nor the state of virginia, it stands alone. its original charter having been granted in 1858, when women or not yet allowed to vote, much less capable to be considered of conducting public affairs. since those pre-civil war days, the ladies association has, without government financial support, steadfastly chartered its own course to not only restore, but to preserve and protect mount vernon for future generations. today, as we stand amidst the quiet a restored splendor of mount vernon, much as it appeared in washington's time, please note that the

association's course has not been easy. but it has never been wayward. we are inspired by our forbearers, even beginning in 1861 when sarah tracy, one of four mount vernon caretakers during the civil war rode to the capital in great danger, behind both enemy lines, to exact a promise from president lincoln to help protect the sacred spot. we, the current board members, who each hail from a different state, consider the protection of washington's home, which has been admired by more than 87 million guests over the years, nothing less than our sacred and moral responsibility. the protection of it is an essential part of the mount vernon ladies association. in the 1950's, the daunting prospect of an oil storage tank facility threatened the view shed. again in the 1960's, the sewage

treatment plan wanted to locate across the river. so the ladies acted swiftly and deliberately to deter these proposals. the efforts of these women, our predecessors, led to the establishment of the national park on the maryland riverfront. since then, the unwavering vigilance of the ladies and our partners in preservation of all the more than one million visitors annually visit mount vernon and first sit on the mansion's plaza, to find inspiration in the same remarkable view that george washington cherished. today, on behalf of the entire ladies association, we simply, but earnestly, ask for your help in support of our mission. directly across the potomac in a rural conservation zone, the energy is moving full speed to locate a natural gas compression station that threatens to forevermore blemish mount

vernon's historic and pristine view. we need your help. we need your help in seeking to have them relocate their station to a more suitable industrialized spot. a move, if achieved, a move, when achieved that will become a testament to the spirit of cooperation and restraint. values that were so dearly held by george washington. thank you for being here today. i would now like to introduce mount vernon's president and ceo, doug bradburn, who at the behest of the board has been leading the charge, save george washington's campaign to halt the industrial encroachment across the river. thank you very much. [applause] >> thank you.

i would like to particularly welcome supervisor dan who is here standing with us. i want to welcome mount vernon's coalition to save george washington's view partners. the alice ferguson foundation, the american battlefield trust, the chesapeake conservancy, the cultural landscape foundation, the garden club of america, the my own reserve, the national trust for historic preservation, the neighborhood friends of mount vernon, preservation maryland and preservation virginia. as mrs. colson just noted, this

extraordinary view behind me is something that has been protected and defended by the ladies association since the 1960's. it does not just happen to be one of the most beautiful sights in the region, but one of the most significant sites in the nation. it was preserved and actively preserved by the ladies association. it did not just happen to stay this way. and now i am sad to say it is under threat. the ladies association mount vernon does not regularly try to create a crisis environment. we do not hold a lot of press conferences. we are a deliberate educational institution. we like to educate the millions of visitors a year who come here and the millions more online. that view behind us is an essential part of that education and preservation mission.

it connects all of our visitors to george washington in a direct visceral way. his love of this extraordinary place, and the view that he contemplated when setting out on his revolutionary journey to secure independence and create a more perfect union. but now, this tremendous resource saved for our country by the ladies association, and our partners for the last 60 years is under threat by a development project by dominion energy. the compressor station that they want to build as part of their pipeline, directly across the river. we believe it is unnecessary to be in that location. it is a location that does not make sense and the mount vernon's ladies association opposes it and hopes the dominion can find a more suitable location that is outside of this historic view shed. dominion will argue that the compressor station will not be seen from mount vernon, so not to worry. but they cannot guarantee that. they have not have final permitting on the shape of the building, nor the height. their promises are not binding. they cannot guarantee that

emissions cannot be seen or have a long-term impact on the forest canopy that protects that view. they're building the station within 40 feet of the boundary of the piscataway national park , a park created by the american people in 1961, which has a mission specifically to preserve the view of george washington's mount vernon. 40 feet from that park boundary. they are building this in the area that is known in trials county as a rural conservation zone. people have opposed it for being in that zone. they denied the special permit that was needed to build and that there was not appropriate fire safety structure. it is in a wetland area that needs to be dewatered and that too many questions persist about the plans that impact the building. to the county's opposition,

dominion has answered with a federal lawsuit. they will try to litigate their way to the outcome that they desire. the authority to ignore the local zoning, the dominion claims from the permitting they received from the energy regulatory commission. an exemption we believe is compromised by inadequate consultation process. one might ask why they would pursue zone commissions if they intended to ignore zone commissions, but that is beside the point. before permitting these types of projects, it is required by section 106 of the historic national preservation act to include historic properties and their assets that are threatened by the projects. it is a key ingredient in section 106 rule. it did not happen in this case. mount vernon was never asked to be a consulting partner. there is a special process for evaluating resources, the view shed associated with the landmark. piscataway national park was never asked to be a consulting partner, nor was george washington memorial parkway park. it is an issue because the pipeline affects both parts. the national registry rountree for piscataway national park was a boundary marker that was incomplete and did not include editions to the part that happened in 1999 and 2001.

to be clear 1265 old landing road added in 2001. the latter is 40 feet from the proposed site and would suffer from the adverse effect of the compressor station. let me be clear. the dominion energy compressor station has never been approved by the mount vernon ladies association. there is no size of compressor we would be happy with being put in this rural area. we believe that this will industrial development that goes through without local approval. if it cannot be stopped now, how could it be stopped in the future? maybe dominion will not do

anything in a year or two, as they promised, and they will not expand the site over time, but they have done that in other places. what will happen in 10 years, or 20 years? the ladies association has defended this view for 60 years and they intend to do it for 60 more and beyond. dominion energy can move their compressor station. we cannot move mount vernon. we are not against development. we are in favor of smart development. we know everybody who cares about what is preserved for future generations and there is a smart way to end this. just this morning our friends at the national trust is one of the most 11 most endangered places in the country. that is a scary list to be on. particularly as an institution that works very hard every day to maintain this 18th century

wooden structure from the variables of weather and change. we have a lot of work to do and we need your help to move this compressor station along. to dominion i would say choose a different spot of ground. not this sacred view. sometimes the right decision is a difficult one. we stand ready with our friends to help you find a more suitable location in a properly zoned area to make this right decision as easy as possible and to help ease the pain of a challenging move. for marylanders i would say this is the most famous view of your beautiful state. it is seen by one million people a year who visit. tens of millions who commute to see the pristine expanse of the potomac curving along your shore. let your neighbors and your public service know this is under threat. encourage them to try to find a more suitable location for this industrial location.

for all i say, you dearly love your tourism. know that george washington's home was asked for a little from you and is one of your most important sites and need your help. tell your public officials and your friends that we want this preserved at all costs. for americans, this is your first president's view. preserved by the latest association for 160 years in a place like on any in the country. it cannot be replicated or replaced once it is lost. let your public servants know this is a national call. this is a view that over 87 million people have enjoyed together as visitors. it is the same view george washington and rochambeau viewed when the contemplated final victory at yorktown for the war for american independence. it is a view enjoyed by woodrow wilson 100 years ago when he laid out his ideas for a new world after a great war that would be based upon peace and the rule of law.

it is a view enjoyed by frank linda lana roosevelt and winston churchill as they prepared to unite in a special relationship in a war against fascism and world war ii. it is a view that john f. kennedy and jackie kennedy enjoyed up their famous state dinner in 1961 when they brought glamour again to mount vernon and hosted the president of pakistan to celebrate the birth of a new democracy in the world. it was a view enjoyed by the late first lady barbara bush and her colleague when they sat hand-in-hand and celebrated the end of the cold war. the beginning of a new possibility. most recently, the view enjoyed by president and first lady trump when we stood with them two months ago in that piazzolla. when they were with the president of france and we all spoke together of the extraordinary beauty of the view, the work we have done to preserve it and the possibilities that can be imagined by such a view. at a time when americans are struggling to find common

ground, the importance in special inspirational beauty of this view is something we can all agree upon. and we have agreed upon for 50 years since the creation of the piscataway national park. let's work together to save that view. finally, when i think about this view i think about george washington's challenge to all of us. when he came back to mount vernon at the end of the american revolutionary war, he told the country that the hardest part was yet to come. winning independence was the beginning, it is what we do with it that matters. history is a long sequence of choices by groups that have made choices. it is not an inevitable list of facts you have to memorize. we are the ones shaping the future, just as the present was shaped by people in our past. as george washington said, millions unborn be affected by the revolutionary moment. we are those children.

the choices that we make will affect this generation and the next generation to come, and millions more. the choices the ladies association made to defend that view shed affects our lives today. the view shed's future will be affected by the choices we make and dominion energy makes and all of you make. let's get together to make sure we can get this thing moved to another location. thank you for your time. before we take questions i would like to introduce my good friend, stephanie meeks, president of the historic preservation. [applause] stephanie: thank you to the regions of the mount vernon's ladies association for your leadership and your dedication and effectiveness over so many years. we stand in awe and all that you

-- all that you have accomplished. the significance of this day speaks for itself on most days. but from time to time we need to lift our voices even higher. mount vernon is not just the estate of america's first president. where george washington lived and worked across the potomac at the new nation. it is also america's most beloved and popular historic home. visited each year by more than one million people. it is a place that when our nation was divided against itself, the american preservation movement was born and our nation's oldest preservation organization was founded more than a century and a half ago. we at the national trust for historic preservation stand with you, with all of you in working to protect this hallowed place for posterity. that is why, as doug said, and on behalf of everyone at the national trust, we are

announcing today, george washington's mount vernon as one of america's 11 most endangered sites for 2018. for more than 30 years now, our 11's most list has called attention to historic places across the country and work to galvanize communities to help protect them. we encourage people to get involved and get active through preservation organizations, social media, however they can and not let today's historic treasure be tomorrow's regret. we are proud to say that fewer than 5% of all the sites we have listed have been lost. this year, along with other iconic american places like annapolis' historical city docks, historic route 66, and the many hurricane damaged historic resources of puerto

rico and the u.s. virgin islands. we are honored to join with all of you here to protect what is our nation's flagship of historic cases in many ways, mount vernon. this home and its surrounding view shed belongs to all americans. at a time when americans were more divided than it has ever been, and mount vernon ladies association came together from across the country to preserve its beauty and history. in good times and bad, generations since have worked to protect this place. now it is our turn. we are here to answer the call. thank you all and thanks for being with us. we look forward to working with you. [applause] >> i would like to thank everyone for coming out and it has been a beautiful day.

i appreciate stephanie being here and the region. -- and theegion's regents. it is a big fight ahead of us. i know that we can come to a mutually agreeable solution. this is one we can win if we work together. thank you very much. we will be happy to take questions off-line after we step dais.e deus -- off the thank you so much. [applause] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2018] interested in american history tv? visit our website, c-span.org/history. you can view our schedule, preview upcoming programs, and view cultural lectures, museum

chores, archival films, and more. c-span.org/history. >> this weekend, american history tv is featuring lubbock, texas, where c-span cities tour staff recently traveled to see its historic sites. located in the northwestern part of the state and centered in the south plains, the area is considered one of the largest cotton growing regions in the world. learn more about lubbock all weekend here on american history tv. >> this is a part of the world where small town values are still pretty much in "vogue." people ask you, where do you go to church? you move into a new neighborhood. somebody will bring you a pie or a plate of cookies or something like that. >> while in lubbock we took a driving tour of the city. >> mayor pope, thank you for joining us. as we tour the city of lubbock, where are some of the places that we'll see today?