I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 437

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 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 29, 2003

Mr. LARSON of Connecticut (for himself, Ms. DELAURO, and Mr. SHAYS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 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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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) the influence of Colt extended beyond the 

24 United States when Samuel Colt was the first resi-
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1 dent of the United States to open a manufacturing 

2 plant overseas; 

3 (6) Coltsville—

4 (A) set the standard for excellence during 

5 the Industrial Revolution; and 

6 (B) continues to prove significant—

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

8 United States can learn about that impor9 tant period in history; and 

10 (ii) by reason of the close proximity of 

11 Coltsville to the Mark Twain House, Trin12 ity College, Old North Cemetery, and 

13 many historic homesteads and 

14 architecturally renowned buildings; 

15 (7) in 1998, the National Park Service con16 ducted a special resource reconnaissance study of 

17 the Connecticut River Valley to evaluate the signifi18 cance of precision manufacturing sites; and 

19 (8) the report on the study stated that—

20 (A) no other region of the United States 

21 contains an equal concentration of resources re22 lating to the precision manufacturing theme 

23 that began with firearms production; 
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1 (B) properties relating to precision manu2 facturing encompass more than merely fac3 tories; and 

4 (C) further study, which should be under5 taken, may recommend inclusion of churches 

6 and other social institutions. 

7 SEC. 3. STUDY. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than three years after 

9 the date on which funds are made available to carry out 

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

11 Act as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall complete a study of the site 

12 in the State of Connecticut commonly known as 

13 ‘‘Coltsville’’ to evaluate—

14 (1) the national significance of the site and sur15 rounding area; 

16 (2) the suitability and feasibility of designating 

17 the site and surrounding area as a unit of the Na18 tional Park System; and 

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

20 precision manufacturing. 

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

22 subsection (a) shall be conducted in accordance with Pub23 lic Law 91–383 (16 U.S.C. 1a–1 et seq.). 
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1 SEC. 4. REPORT. 

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

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

4 submit to the Committee on Resources of the House of 

5 Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Nat6 ural Resources of the Senate a report that describes—

7 (1) the findings of the study; and 

8 (2) any conclusions and recommendations of the 

9 Secretary. 

10 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

11 There are authorized to be appropriated such sums 

12 as are necessary to carry out this Act.

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