II 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 233

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. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 29, 2003

Mr. DODD (for himself and Mr. LIEBERMAN) 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 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’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds that—

8 (1) Hartford, Connecticut, home to Colt Manu9 facturing Company (referred to in this Act as 
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•S 233 IS 

1 ‘‘Colt’’), played a major role in the Industrial Revo2 lution; 

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

4 Elizabeth Colt, inspired Coltsville, a community in 

5 the State of Connecticut that flourished during the 

6 Industrial Revolution and included Victorian man7 sions, an open green area, botanical gardens, and a 

8 deer park; 

9 (3) the residence of Samuel and Elizabeth Colt 

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

11 a national historic landmark, and the distinctive Colt 

12 factory is a prominent feature of the Hartford, Con13 necticut, skyline; 

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

15 but also about industrial innovation and the develop16 ment of technology that would change the way of life 

17 in the United States, including—

18 (A) the development of telegraph tech19 nology; and 

20 (B) advancements in jet engine technology 

21 by Francis Pratt and Amos Whitney, who 

22 served as apprentices at Colt; 

23 (5) Coltsville—

24 (A) set the standard for excellence during 

25 the Industrial Revolution; and 
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•S 233 IS 

1 (B) continues to prove significant—

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

3 United States can learn about that impor4 tant period in history; and 

5 (ii) by reason of the close proximity of 

6 Coltsville to the Mark Twain House, Trin7 ity College, Old North Cemetery, and 

8 many historic homesteads and 

9 architecturally renowned buildings; 

10 (6) in 1998, the National Park Service con11 ducted a special resource reconnaissance study of 

12 the Connecticut River Valley to evaluate the signifi13 cance of precision manufacturing sites; and 

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

15 (A) no other region of the United States 

16 contains an equal concentration of resources re17 lating to the precision manufacturing theme 

18 that began with firearms production; 

19 (B) properties relating to precision manu20 facturing encompass more than merely fac21 tories; and 

22 (C) further study, which should be under23 taken, may recommend inclusion of churches 

24 and other social institutions. 
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1 SEC. 3. STUDY. 

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

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

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

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

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

7 to evaluate—

8 (1) the national significance of the site and sur9 rounding area; 

10 (2) the suitability and feasibility of designating 

11 the site and surrounding area as a unit of the Na12 tional Park System; and 

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

14 precision manufacturing. 

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

16 subsection (a) shall be conducted in accordance with Pub17 lic Law 91–383 (16 U.S.C. 1a–1 et seq.). 

18 SEC. 4. REPORT. 

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

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

21 submit to the Committee on Resources of the House of 

22 Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Nat23 ural Resources of the Senate a report that describes—

24 (1) the findings of the study; and 

25 (2) any conclusions and recommendations of the 

26 Secretary. 
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1 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

2 There are authorized to be appropriated such sums 

3 as are necessary to carry out this Act.

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