II 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2857 

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to carry out a study regarding the 

suitability and feasibility of establishing the Naugatuck River Valley 

National Heritage Area in Connecticut, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 18, 2014 

Mr. BLUMENTHAL (for himself and Mr. MURPHY) introduced the following 

bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and 

Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to carry out a study 

regarding the suitability and feasibility of establishing 

the Naugatuck River Valley National Heritage Area in 

Connecticut, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Naugatuck River Val5 ley National Heritage Area Study Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE STUDY REGARDING 

7 NAUGATUCK RIVER VALLEY, CONNECTICUT. 

8 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•S 2857 IS

1 (1) The area that encompasses the Naugatuck 

2 River Valley of Connecticut has made a unique con3 tribution to the cultural, political, and industrial de4 velopment of the United States. 

5 (2) The Naugatuck River Valley is comprised of 

6 14 communities along the Naugatuck River, which 

7 stretches for more than 40 miles from its head8 waters in Torrington, Connecticut, to the confluence 

9 with the Housatonic River in Shelton. The 14 mu10 nicipalities of Torrington, Harwinton, Litchfield, 

11 Plymouth/Terryville, Thomaston, Waterbury, Water12 town, Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Derby, Naugatuck, 

13 Oxford, Seymour, and Shelton, share common his14 torical elements, agricultural, trade, and maritime 

15 origins, similar architecture, common industries, an 

16 immigrant culture succeeding colonial beginnings, 

17 and a significant contribution to the war effort from 

18 the Revolutionary War to World War II. Most of 

19 these elements are still in evidence today. 

20 (3) Three major industries drove the manufac21 turing contribution of the Valley. As evidenced in 

22 the book, The Brass Industry in the United States, 

23 by William Lathrop, the brass industry was born in 

24 Connecticut’s Naugatuck River Valley and harnessed 

25 the power of the Naugatuck River and the skilled 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•S 2857 IS

1 immigrant workers who arrived from Germany, Ire2 land, Italy, and Poland. 

3 (4) The Naugatuck River Valley also spawned 

4 the birth of the rubber industry in the United States 

5 when Charles Goodyear developed the vulcanization 

6 process in 1839. Together with Samuel Lewis, a 

7 wealthy industrialist from Naugatuck, Connecticut, 

8 Goodyear parlayed his innovation into establishing 

9 the U.S. Rubber Company, making Naugatuck the 

10 rubber capital of the world. 

11 (5) The Naugatuck River Valley was also a 

12 major contributor to the success of the United 

13 States clock industry. Eli Terry designed inter14 changeable parts for his clocks assembled in 

15 Terryville. Renowned clockmaker Seth Thomas 

16 began making the first of millions of clocks in 

17 Thomaston, Connecticut, in 1813. His company con18 tinued until 1931 when it became a division of Gen19 eral Time Corporation (Timex). Other important in20 dustries included pens, evaporated milk, pianos and 

21 organs, corset stays, and cables. 

22 (6) The Naugatuck River Valley has been a 

23 major contributor to the United States war efforts 

24 from the American Revolution to the Civil War to 

25 World War II. In the 2007 PBS film ‘‘The War’’, 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•S 2857 IS

1 the story of World War II directed and produced by 

2 Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, the City of Water3 bury, Connecticut, was characterized as the ‘‘arse4 nal’’ of the war effort because of its high concentra5 tion of war industries. 

6 (7) The Naugatuck River Valley has been home 

7 to many great authors, diplomats, inventors and pa8 triots, such as David Humphreys, Aide-de-Camp to 

9 General George Washington and the first American 

10 ambassador; Commodore Isaac Hull, Commander of 

11 ‘‘Old Ironsides’’ during the War of 1812; Ebenezer 

12 D. Bassett, the country’s first black ambassador; 

13 Dr. John Howe, inventor of a pin making machine 

14 that made the common pin a household necessity; 

15 and Pierre Lallement, inventor of the modern two16 wheel bicycle. 

17 (8) The Naugatuck River Valley possesses a 

18 rich and diverse assemblage of architecturally sig19 nificant civic, industrial and residential structures 

20 and monuments dating from Colonial times to the 

21 present. There are 88 structures in the Naugatuck 

22 Valley included on the National Register of Historic 

23 Places. The first law school in America was built in 

24 Litchfield. Notable examples of the variety of archi25 tecture found in the Valley include Robert Wakeman 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
5 

•S 2857 IS

1 Hill’s brilliantly designed Thomaston Opera House 

2 and Town Hall; H.E. Ficken’s acoustically impres3 sive Sterling Opera House in Derby, site of appear4 ances by many nationally known performers; Water5 bury’s Clock Tower, designed by the renowned archi6 tectural firm of McKim, Mead & White which also 

7 designed four buildings in Naugatuck; Henry Bacon, 

8 designer of the Lincoln Memorial and two structures 

9 in Naugatuck; and the Father McGivney Statue cast 

10 by Joseph Coletti of Boston to honor the 

11 Waterburian who founded the Knights of Columbus. 

12 (9) The Naugatuck River Valley has been a 

13 melting pot for immigrant populations who have 

14 made significant contributions to the industrial, cul15 tural, and economic development of the nation. 

16 (10) The Naugatuck River Valley possesses a 

17 group of public-spirited citizens dedicated to the 

18 preservation and promotion of the region’s natural, 

19 historic, and cultural heritage, and a passionate re20 solve to work together for the betterment of the Val21 ley and its residents. 

22 (b) STUDY.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Inte24 rior shall, in consultation with the State of Con25 necticut and appropriate organizations, carry out a 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
6 

•S 2857 IS

1 study regarding the suitability and feasibility of es2 tablishing the Naugatuck River Valley National Her3 itage Area in Connecticut. 

4 (2) CONTENTS.—The study shall include anal5 ysis and documentation regarding whether the Study 

6 Area— 

7 (A) has an assemblage of natural, historic, 

8 and cultural resources that together represent 

9 distinctive aspects of American heritage worthy 

10 of recognition, conservation, interpretation, and 

11 continuing use, and are best managed through 

12 partnerships among public and private entities 

13 and by combining diverse and sometimes non14 contiguous resources and active communities; 

15 (B) reflects traditions, customs, beliefs, 

16 and folklife that are a valuable part of the na17 tional story; 

18 (C) provides outstanding opportunities to 

19 conserve natural, historic, cultural, or scenic 

20 features; 

21 (D) provides outstanding recreational and 

22 educational opportunities; 

23 (E) contains resources important to the 

24 identified theme or themes of the Study Area 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
7 

•S 2857 IS

1 that retain a degree of integrity capable of sup2 porting interpretation; 

3 (F) includes residents, business interests, 

4 nonprofit organizations, and local and State 

5 governments that are involved in the planning, 

6 have developed a conceptual financial plan that 

7 outlines the roles for all participants, including 

8 the Federal Government, and have dem9 onstrated support for the concept of a national 

10 heritage area; 

11 (G) has a potential management entity to 

12 work in partnership with residents, business in13 terests, nonprofit organizations, and local and 

14 State governments to develop a national herit15 age area consistent with continued local and 

16 State economic activity; and 

17 (H) has a conceptual boundary map that is 

18 supported by the public. 

19 (c) BOUNDARIES OF THE STUDY AREA.—The Study 

20 Area shall be comprised of sites in Torrington, Harwinton, 

21 Litchfield, Plymouth/Terryville, Thomaston, Waterbury, 

22 Watertown, Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Derby, Naugatuck, 

23 Oxford, Seymour, and Shelton, Connecticut. 

24 (d) SUBMISSION OF STUDY RESULTS.—Not later 

25 than 3 years after funds are first made available for this 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
8 

•S 2857 IS

1 section, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on 

2 Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and 

3 the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the 

4 Senate a report describing the results of the study. 

Æ 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS