It is
proposed that the 60-mile
stretch of the Housatonic
River watershed, from its
headwaters near
Lanesboro, Massachusetts,
to the Sub-basin Divide
below Kent, Connecticut,
be designated as a
National Heritage Area
under the general aegis
of the National Park
Service. The principal
unifying theme for the
proposed Heritage Area is
the early American iron
industry that operated in
the region between the
1730s and the 1920s,
recently documented in
detail in Echoes of Iron,
by Edward Kirby (Sharon
Historical Society,
1999), Parallel to this
iron history is the
social, agricultural and
intellectual history of
the region, described in
Chard Powers Smith's The
Housatonic (Rivers of
America Series, Rinehart
& Co., 1946).
Attached as exhibits to
this proposal are copies
of(A) Edward Kirby's
annotated map of the
Upper Housatonic River
Watershed, marked with
numbers showing the
location of early iron
industry sites in
Massachusetts,
Connecticut and New York
(keyed to Echoes of
Iron numbered
sites), (B) the map of
The Housatonic Valley
from The Housatonic, with
margin notes on key
historic events and
personalities, and (C) a
Vision Statement and
Goals. The Upper
Housatonic Valley
National Heritage Area
will be patterned closely
on the highlysuccessful
front-runner in
preserving the beauty,
values and history of a
unified region, the
Quinebaug and Shetucket
Rivers Valley National
Heritage Corridor, whose
Executive Director,
Charlene Cutler, has been
extremely helpful on
practical and policy
issues in developing this
proposal. The Heritage
Corridor/Areas programs
is an innovative approach
to encourage grassroots
efforts to preserve and
restore significant
historic and natural
assets and to foster
compatible economic
development and historic,
recreational and
environmental
enhancement. Recognizing
the limited availability
of federal monies, the
primary role of the
federal government is to
provide technical
assistance and limited
interpretation. Although
"national heritage areas"
have status within the
National Park Service,
the federal government
does not own or manage
the designated area.
There are presently 17
such areas in the United
States, including the
nearby Quinebaug and
Shetucket Rivers National
Heritage Corridor and
Hudson River Valley
Heritage Area.
WHY DOES THIS AREA MERIT SUCH DESIGNATION?
The history of the
Upper Housatonic Valley
is a microcosm of the
history of the nation,
from the Native Americans
and European settlement
through its frontier
days, the industrial
revolution and the more
recent growth in
cultural, conservation
and recreational
activities. When compared
with many other areas of
the country, much of the
early historic and
natural landscape is
still intact. The area
contains a large number
of structures and
districts listed on the
National Register of
Historic Places, There is
also great potential for
outdoor recreation, on
waterways and greenways
or trails, and a wide
range of other activities
for visitors and
residents. The section of
the River below Falls
Village, CT is one of the
prized fly-fishing
centers in the Northeast.
Parts of the Iron
Heritage Trail and the
1847 Beckley Iron Furnace
have recently been
designated as an official
project by the Millennium
Committee to Save
America's Treasures
headed by Hillary Rodham
Clinton, Susan Eisenhower
and Richard Moe
(President of the
National Trust for
Historic Preservation).
The area's history
museums and unique
historic sites include
the Sloane-Stanley Museum
(of early American tools)
(in Kent); the Sharon
Audubon Center (in
Sharon); Bartholomew's
Cobble and the Colonel
Ashley House (in
Sheffield); Monument
Mountain Reservation
(where Nathaniel
Hawthorne and Herman
Melville picnicked
together) (in Great
Barrington); Chesterwood
(studio of Daniel Chester
French), Naumkeag
(designed by Stanford
White), and the Normal
Rockwell Museum (in
Stockbridge); The Mount
(home of Edith Wharton)
(in Lenox); Arrowhead
(home of Herman Melville)
and Hancock Shaker
Village (in Pittsfield);
and the Crane Museum of
Papermaking (in Dalton).
There are a number of
smaller local history
museums, striving to
preserve and interpret
the area's past, many of
very high quality.
HOW DOES DESIGNATION OF A NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA OCCUR?
The first step is to
organize a strong
grassroots committee to
work for designation with
the area's Congressional
delegation and the
respective States of
Connecticut and
Massachusetts. Upon
passage of preliminary
authorizing legislation,
the National Park Service
will be requested to
provide technical
assistance in studying
the area's potential for
designation as a heritage
area, and to supply funds
/ technical assistance
for various projects to
raise public awareness of
the natural, historic and
cultural assets of the
area. Local, regional
and state agencies,
businesses and private
citizens will be invited
to support a cooperative
effort to preserve and
enhance the region's
resources and accomplish
better planning for the
future. Draft legislation
will then be presented to
the area's Congressmen to
begin the lengthy process
of congressional approval
of the area's
designation. The
legislation will
authorize an annual
appropriation to support
the Area's program and
goals comparable to the
amounts currently
appropriated for other
National Heritage Areas.
Comments and suggestions on the foregoing proposal are solicited and welcome.
Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area Partnership
c/o Tri-Corners History Council
Box 553
Salisbury, CT 06068
August, 1999
List of Towns Included in the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area |
Connecticut
Canaan
Cornwall
Kent
Norfolk
North Canaan
Salisbury
Sharon
Warren |
Massachusetts
Alford
Dalton
Edgemont
Great Barrington
Hinsdale
Lanesboro
Lee
Lenox
Monterey
Mount Washington
New Marlboro
Pittsfield
Richmond
Sheffield
Stockbridge
Tyringham
Washington
West Stockbridge |
(Note: Adjacent New York State towns are included in the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area.)
VISION STATEMENT AND GOALS
The Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area will preserve its natural, historic and cultural assets
while helping to assure a quality of life based on a strong, healthy local economy compatible with its
character. This will be accomplished through local, regional and state cooperation, and partnerships with
businesses, organizations and residents. Town government will play the pivotal role, as land use decisions
will remain, as they historically have been, at the local level.
ADMINISTRATION
Goal: A nonprofit organization will be incorporated by the citizen grassroots steering committee to act as
the permanent administrative body for the Heritage Area. The organization's bylaws will name appropriate
public and private agencies for representation on its board as ex-officio members, including:
Housatonic Valley Association
Housatonic Initiative
Housatonic River Restoration
plus other public agencies and organizations essential to the Area's progress.
HISTORIC, NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCES
Vision: Historic, natural and cultural assets will be preserved, supported and interpreted.
Goals:
-
Preservation of early American iron industry sites in the Heritage Area.
-
Providing grants for staffing, promotion and interpretation of local historic sites and museums in
the Heritage Area.
-
Restoration and preservation of appropriate historic structures and buildings within the Heritage
Area.
-
Increasing public appreciation and protection of the historical, natural and cultural resources of the
Heritage Area.
-
Support for visitor centers in the Heritage Area and publication of visitor maps and guides.
Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area Partnership
PROPOSED GOALS
-
Preservation of early American iron industry sites in the Heritage Area.
-
Providing grants for staffing, promotion and interpretation of local historic sites and museums in
the Heritage Area.
-
Restoration and preservation of appropriate historic structures and buildings within the Heritage
Area.
-
Increasing public appreciation and protection of the historical, natural and cultural resources of the
Heritage Area.
-
Support for visitor centers in the Heritage Area and publication of visitor maps and guides.
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