Former US Tentative List (64)
- 17 National Parks
- 6 National Monuments
- 4 National Wildlife Refuges
- 4 Historic Districts
- 2 National Historic Parks

Alabama (1):
Moundville Archeological Site
Alaska (3):
Aleutian Islands - Unit of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge (Fur Seal Rookeries)
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Cape Krusenstern Archeological District National Monument
Arizona (8):
Casa Grande National Monument
Hohokam Pima National Monument
Lowell Observatory
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
Saguaro National Park
San Xavier Del Bac Mission
Taliesin West (Included in 2008 revised tentative list as serial nomination)
Ventana Cave
California (4):
Joshua Tree National Park
Point Reyes National Seashore/Farallon Islands National Wildlife Refuge
Sequoia/King Canyon National Parks
Death Valley National Park
Colorado (3):
Colorado National Monument
Lindenmeier Site
Rocky Mountains National Park
District of Columbia (2):
Chapel Hall, Gallaudet College
Washington Monument
Georgia (4):
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge (Included in 2008 revised tentative list)
Ocmulgee National Monument
Savannah Historic District
Warm Springs Historic District
Illinois (11):
Auditorium Building, Chicago
Carson Pirie, Scott and Company Store, Chicago
Eads Bridge, Illinois – St. Louis, Missouri
Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio
Leiter II Building, Chicago
Marquette Building, Chicago
Reliance Building, Chicago
Robie House, Chicago (Included in 2008 revised tentative list as serial nomination)
Rookery Building, Chicago
South Dearborn Street – Printing House Row North Historic District
Unity Temple, Oak Park (Included in 2008 revised tentative list as serial nomination)
Indiana (1):
New Harmony Historic District
Louisiana (1):
Poverty Point State Historic Site (Included in 2008 revised tentative list)
Maine (1):
Acadia National Park
Massachusetts (1):
Goddard Rocket Launching Site
Missouri (1):
Wainwright Building, St. Louis
New Mexico (1):
Pecos National Historic Park
New York (5):
Brooklyn Bridge
General Electric Research Laboratories, Schenectady
Prudential (Guaranty) Building, Buffalo
Pupin Physics Laboratory, Columbia University
Original Bell Telephone Laboratories
Ohio (1):
Hopewell Culture National Historic Park (Included in 2008 revised tentative list)
Oregon (1):
Crater Lake National Park
Pennsylvania (1):
Fallingwater (Included in 2008 revised tentative list as serial nomination)
Texas (2):
Big Bend National Park
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Utah (6):
Arches National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park
Canyonlands National Park
Capitol Reef National Park
Rainbow Bridge National Monument
Zion National Park
Virginia (2):
McCormick Farm and Workshop
Virginia Coast Reserve
Washington (2):
Mount Rainier National Park
North Cascades National Park
Wisconsin (1):
Taliesin (Included in 2008 revised tentative list as serial nomination)
Wyoming (1):
Grand Teton National Park

As far as I know this is an accurate version of the outdated US tentative list. I adjusted some of the names to sites, which over the years went from National Monument to National Park, etc. I should note Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks was a far smaller nomination on the former list, being only the Mound City earthworks. It is now very difficult to find this old list online.

There are many sites in this list I would consider worthy of inscription. While many nominations suffered from US leaving Unesco for over a decade, others very likely lacked public support.

Aspects of the List that stand out:
- There are six seperate Frank Lloyd Wright nominations
- Quite a few 20th century nominations, including skyscrapers
- Strong focus on science and innovation
- 17 National Park nominations (The US already has 13 National Parks Inscribed)
- 4 nominations on the former list made it onto the revised list (5 FLW buildings, Poverty Point, Okefenokee, and Hopewell)

There has been some talk of including additional nominations on the US Tentative List. Surprisingly, it has already been 5 years since the last update. There has been only (1) inscription, but at least 3 nominations are in the pipeline for 2014-2016.

That being said the OLD US tentative list is worth ticking off. Some even could be reconsidered for future nominations. I've had the great opportunity to visit 11 of the previous tentative sites. While the 1982 list is deeply flawed, there are some fantastic places that make a worthwhile visit.

California
Joshua Tree National Park
Sequoia/King Canyon National Parks
Death Valley National Park

Arizona
Casa Grande National Monument
Lowell Observatory
Saguaro National Park
San Xavier Del Bac Mission
Taliesin West (Included in 2008 revised tentative list as serial nomination)

Illinois
Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio
Unity Temple (Included in 2008 revised tentative list as serial nomination)

Utah
Zion National Park

Out of interest I have established (not in a "competitive" way I might add!!) that we have visited 18 of the old T List -
Joshua Tree National Park
Sequoia/King Canyon National Parks
Death Valley National Park
Rocky Mountains National Park
Washington Monument
South Dearborn Street – Printing House Row North Historic District Chicago
Acadia National Park
Brooklyn Bridge
Prudential (Guaranty) Building, Buffalo
Crater Lake National Park
Arches National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park
Canyonlands National Park
Capitol Reef National Park
Zion National Park
Mount Rainier National Park
North Cascades National Park
Grand Teton National Park

Yes, all are certainly worth visiting (and preserving). Many are in the "worth a journey" category and none is less than "worth a detour"!!
The list gets one thinking again about the way in which the World Heritage concept has developed/changed over the years. This has been both positive and negative - it does seem to have got itself into something of a "rut" in its regular inscription of what are often really pretty mediocre sites either because the country has done a good job at preparing a Nomination File or on the basis of sharing the accolade around the World! Given the make up of the WH Committee and the views of those employed by UNESCO, one wonders if it can ever escape from this situation

And the US has also gone through major changes in that period - could it even consider putting forward the Washington Monument and Brooklyn Bridge now with the realisation that (for better or worse!)much of the World isn't really very impressed by such "National symbols" of democracy and power!

We have already discussed the issue of US nominations which are private property but that issue also impacts on nominations for National Parks and other Federal/State property via the development, since the original T List, of the concept of Buffer Zones and the realisation of what these can mean. This aspect led to the passage of the "American Land Sovereignty act of 1996" (plus later amendments).

We are all aware of the somewhat unthinking "redneck" anti-UNESCO views which exist in parts of the US but this document, dated 1997, provides a rather better reasoned critique of the World Heritage (and Biosphere Reserve) System as it has developed. In my view it justifies consideration! In the US there may have been something of a retreat in recent years from its conclusions but I suspect the general antipathy towards the schemes which it describes is more widespread than solely among the ultra Right - and perhaps not totally without justification!!!
http://cei.org/sites/default/files/Jeremy%20Rabkin%20-%20The%20Yellowstone%20Affair%2 0Environmental%20Protection,%20International%20Treaties,%20And%20National%20Sovereign ty.pdf

Well, as far as the Brooklyn Bridge and the Washington Monument nominations, Mount Vernon is every bit as much a national symbol. Predictably the nomination failed, but for the most part the 2008 tentative list has avoided such nominations.

By the way, out of curiosity, which old nominations do you feel were the most worthy of inscription (if any)?

To jump in on this question, I would say the 9 buildings/ districts (7 in Chicago 1 St Louis 1 Buffalo) representing the Chicago School of Architecture (from the Top 50 missing). I think I may even rate them above the Frank Lloyd Wright buildings that have been retained.
I thought Arches was magnificent last year as well, and Grand Teton would make a worthy extension to Yellowstone.

Incidentally I was looking at information about Mt Rushmore. I had always dismissed it as a bit kitsch, but actually it is a rather remarkable engineering achievement . Doubt it would ever be nominated or accepted though, a little too much of a national symbol.

Mt Rushmore, while impressive, is very symbolic of American leadership. Moreover, the fact that the monument is located on land seized by the United States from the Lakota Tribe in the 1870's is something that the WHS committee may view as problamatic. There would surely be opposition amongst Native American tribes within the region.

After reading the link posted by Solvigant, the argument is valid. Unfortunately, this argument is not the justification used by those who oppose Unesco involvement. More often than not the "foreign land grab" argument is pressed on people.