I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 938 
To establish the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area in the 
State of Connecticut and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 17, 2005 
Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut (for herself and Mr. OLVER) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Resources 
A BILL 
To establish the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage 
Area in the State of Connecticut and the Commonwealth 
of Massachusetts, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Upper Housatonic Val-
ley National Heritage Area Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) The upper Housatonic Valley, encompassing 
29 towns in the hilly terrain of western Massachu-
setts and northwestern Connecticut, is a singular 
geographical and cultural region that has made sig-
nificant national contributions through its literary, 
artistic, musical, and architectural achievements, its 
iron, paper, and electrical equipment industries, and 
its scenic beautification and environmental conserva-
tion efforts. 
(2) The upper Housatonic Valley has 139 prop-
erties and historic districts listed on the National 
Register of Historic Places, including— 
(A) five National Historic Landmarks— 
(i) 
Edith 
Wharton’s 
home, 
The 
Mount, Lenox, Massachusetts; 
(ii) Herman Melville’s home, Arrow-
head, Pittsfield, Massachusetts; 
(iii) W.E.B. DuBois’ Boyhood Home-
site, Great Barrington, Massachusetts; 
(iv) Mission House, Stockbridge, Mas-
sachusetts; and 
(v) Crane and Company Old Stone 
Mill Rag Room, Dalton, Massachusetts; 
and 
(B) four National Natural Landmarks— 
(i) Bartholomew’s Cobble, Sheffield, 
Massachusetts, and Salisbury, Connecticut;
(ii) 
Beckley 
Bog, 
Norfolk, 
Con-
necticut; 
(iii) Bingham Bog, Salisbury, Con-
necticut; and 
(iv) Cathedral Pines, Cornwall, Con-
necticut. 
(3) Writers, artists, musicians, and vacationers 
have visited the region for more than 150 years to 
enjoy its scenic wonders, making it one of the coun-
try’s leading cultural resorts. 
(4) The upper Housatonic Valley has made sig-
nificant national cultural contributions through such 
writers as Herman Melville, Nathaniel Hawthorne, 
Edith Wharton, and W.E.B. DuBois, artists Daniel 
Chester French and Norman Rockwell, and the per-
forming arts centers of Tanglewood, Music Moun-
tain, Norfolk (Connecticut) Chamber Music Festival, 
Jacob’s Pillow, and Shakespeare & Company. 
(5) The upper Housatonic Valley is noted for 
its pioneering achievements in the iron, paper, and 
electrical generation industries and has cultural re-
sources to interpret those industries. 
(6) The region became a national leader in sce-
nic beautification and environmental conservation ef-
forts following the era of industrialization and defor-
estation and maintains a fabric of significant con-
servation 
areas 
including 
the 
meandering 
Housatonic River. 
(7) Important historical events related to the 
American Revolution, Shays’ Rebellion, and early 
civil rights took place in the upper Housatonic Val-
ley. 
(8) The region had an American Indian pres-
ence going back 10,000 years and Mohicans had a 
formative role in contact with Europeans during the 
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. 
(9) The Upper Housatonic Valley National 
Heritage Area has been proposed in order to height-
en appreciation of the region, preserve its natural 
and historical resources, and improve the quality of 
life and economy of the area. 
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are as fol-
lows: 
(1) To establish the Upper Housatonic Valley 
National Heritage Area in the State of Connecticut 
and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 
(2) To implement the national heritage area al-
ternative as described in the document entitled 
‘‘Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area 
Feasibility Study, 2003’’.
(3) To provide a management framework to 
foster a close working relationship with all levels of 
government, the private sector, and the local com-
munities in the upper Housatonic Valley region to 
conserve the region’s heritage while continuing to 
pursue compatible economic opportunities. 
(4) To assist communities, organizations, and 
citizens in the State of Connecticut and the Com-
monwealth of Massachusetts in identifying, pre-
serving, interpreting, and developing the historical, 
cultural, scenic, and natural resources of the region 
for the educational and inspirational benefit of cur-
rent and future generations. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) HERITAGE
AREA.—The term ‘‘Heritage 
Area’’ means the Upper Housatonic Valley National 
Heritage Area, established in section 4. 
(2) MANAGEMENT ENTITY.—The term ‘‘Man-
agement Entity’’ means the management entity for 
the Heritage Area designated by section 4(d). 
(3) MANAGEMENT PLAN.—The term ‘‘Manage-
ment Plan’’ means the management plan for the 
Heritage Area specified in section 6.
(4) MAP.—The term ‘‘map’’ means the map en-
titled ‘‘Boundary Map Upper Housatonic Valley Na-
tional Heritage Area’’, numbered P17/80,000, and 
dated February 2003. 
(5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior. 
(6) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the State 
of Connecticut and the Commonwealth of Massachu-
setts. 
SEC. 4. UPPER HOUSATONIC VALLEY NATIONAL HERITAGE 
AREA. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established the 
Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area. 
(b) BOUNDARIES.—The Heritage Area shall be com-
prised of— 
(1) part of the Housatonic River’s watershed, 
which extends 60 miles from Lanesboro, Massachu-
setts to Kent, Connecticut; 
(2) the towns of Canaan, Colebrook, Cornwall, 
Kent, Norfolk, North Canaan, Salisbury, Sharon, 
and Warren in Connecticut; and 
(3) the towns of Alford, Becket, Dalton, 
Egremont, Great Barrington, Hancock, Hinsdale, 
Lanesboro, Lee, Lenox, Monterey, Mount Wash-
ington, New Marlboro, Pittsfield, Richmond, Shef-