National Park Service considers Housatonic Valley for National Heritage Area
The National Park Service is in the process of considering the upper Housatonic River Valley as a National Heritage Area. If the Upper Housatonic Heritage Area is created, local organizations throughout the region would be eligible for federal funding. Like many of the towns, museums, and civic, cultural and historical organizations that have supported this initiative, I am hopeful that the Park Service will recognize the merits of this historic region.
The proposed Upper Housatonic Heritage Area follows the Housatonic River, roughly from Lanesborough, Massachusetts to Kent, Connecticut. This sixty-mile corridor played an integral role in the nation's economic and intellectual development. The Housatonic Valley ironindustry hosted blast furnaces and foundries that provided materials for weapons during the American Revolution and the Civil War. Cannons, paper and railroad wheels were major products of the region that helped fuel our economy and secure our independence.
The Housatonic Valley was also home to an abundance of progressive thinkers and artists, including W.E.B. DuBois, Daniel Chester French, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Norman Rockwell, Catherine Sedgwick and Edith Wharton. The natural beauty of the region provided inspiration for some the county's most treasured works of art and literature.
The Housatonic Valley lies in close proximity to several major metropolitan markets. It is also a place where the Appalachian Trail traverses mountains, valleys and watersheds, on route from Maine to Georgia. This world-renowned hiking trail is a mecca for serious outdoor enthusiasts, as well as casual day hikers.
Designation as a National Heritage Area would not restrict property owners, or place additional regulations on zoning. Rather, funding for this proposal would provide residents and tourists with educational opportunities regarding the region’s historical significance. Similarly, recognition from the National Park Service would enable cities, towns and other local organizations to address environmental concerns, as well as historic and economic evaluations.
According to the National Park Service, a National Heritage Area is a place designated by Congress where natural, cultural, historic, and scenic resources combine to form a cohesive, nationally distinctive landscape arising from patterns of human activity shaped by geography. These patterns make National Heritage Areas representative of the national experience through the physical features that remain and the traditions that have evolved in them. Continued use of the National Heritage Areas by people whose traditions helped to shape the landscapes enhances their significance.
The current Park Service feasibility study is funded by a $300,000 appropriation from Congress. I have been in contact with James O’Connell, of the National Park Service in Boston, regarding my endorsement of this proposal. I have also voiced my support for the Upper Housatonic Heritage Area to Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry, and Congressman John W. Olver.
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