I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 233

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 5, 2003

Referred to the Committee on Resources 

AN ACT

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study 

of Coltsville in the State of Connecticut for potential 

inclusion in the National Park System.

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 ‘‘Coltsville Study Act 

5 of 2003’’.
2

S 233 RFH 

1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress finds that—

3 (1) Hartford, Connecticut, home to Colt Manu4 facturing Company (referred to in this Act as 

5 ‘‘Colt’’), played a major role in the Industrial Revo6 lution; 

7 (2) Samuel Colt, founder of Colt, and his wife, 

8 Elizabeth Colt, inspired Coltsville, a community in 

9 the State of Connecticut that flourished during the 

10 Industrial Revolution and included Victorian man11 sions, an open green area, botanical gardens, and a 

12 deer park; 

13 (3) the residence of Samuel and Elizabeth Colt 

14 in Hartford, Connecticut, known as ‘‘Armsmear’’, is 

15 a national historic landmark, and the distinctive Colt 

16 factory is a prominent feature of the Hartford, Con17 necticut, skyline; 

18 (4) the Colt legacy is not only about firearms, 

19 but also about industrial innovation and the develop20 ment of technology that would change the way of life 

21 in the United States, including—

22 (A) the development of telegraph tech23 nology; and 

24 (B) advancements in jet engine technology 

25 by Francis Pratt and Amos Whitney, who 

26 served as apprentices at Colt; 
3

S 233 RFH 

1 (5) Coltsville—

2 (A) set the standard for excellence during 

3 the Industrial Revolution; and 

4 (B) continues to prove significant—

5 (i) as a place in which people of the 

6 United States can learn about that impor7 tant period in history; and 

8 (ii) by reason of the close proximity of 

9 Coltsville to the Mark Twain House, Trin10 ity College, Old North Cemetery, and 

11 many historic homesteads and 

12 architecturally renowned buildings; 

13 (6) in 1998, the National Park Service con14 ducted a special resource reconnaissance study of 

15 the Connecticut River Valley to evaluate the signifi16 cance of precision manufacturing sites; and 

17 (7) the report on the study stated that—

18 (A) no other region of the United States 

19 contains an equal concentration of resources re20 lating to the precision manufacturing theme 

21 that began with firearms production; 

22 (B) properties relating to precision manu23 facturing encompass more than merely fac24 tories; and 
4

S 233 RFH 

1 (C) further study, which should be under2 taken, may recommend inclusion of churches 

3 and other social institutions. 

4 SEC. 3. STUDY. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years after the 

6 date on which funds are made available to carry out this 

7 Act, the Secretary of the Interior (referred to in this Act 

8 as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall complete a study of the site in 

9 the State of Connecticut commonly known as ‘‘Coltsville’’ 

10 to evaluate—

11 (1) the national significance of the site and sur12 rounding area; 

13 (2) the suitability and feasibility of designating 

14 the site and surrounding area as a unit of the Na15 tional Park System; and 

16 (3) the importance of the site to the history of 

17 precision manufacturing. 

18 (b) APPLICABLE LAW.—The study required under 

19 subsection (a) shall be conducted in accordance with Pub20 lic Law 91–383 (16 U.S.C. 1a–1 et seq.). 

21 SEC. 4. REPORT. 

22 Not later than 30 days after the date on which the 

23 study under section 3(a) is completed, the Secretary shall 

24 submit to the Committee on Resources of the House of 
5

S 233 RFH 

1 Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Nat2 ural Resources of the Senate a report that describes—

3 (1) the findings of the study; and 

4 (2) any conclusions and recommendations of the 

5 Secretary. 

6 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

7 There are authorized to be appropriated such sums 

8 as are necessary to carry out this Act.

Passed the Senate March 4, 2003. 

Attest: EMILY J. REYNOLDS, 

Secretary.