FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 15, 2002

DODD, LIEBERMAN, LARSON INTRODUCE LEGISLATION CALLING FOR COLTSVILLE STUDY

Feasibility study first step in gaining National Park status

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Highlighting Colt Manufacturing Company's crucial role in the Industrial Revolution and innovations by Samuel Colt that still impact the way we live to this day, Senators Chris Dodd and Joe Lieberman and Congressman John Larson introduced legislation in the Senate and House today that directs the U.S. Secretary of the Interior to study the Coltsville property in Hartford for possible inclusion into the National Park system. 

The Coltsville Study Act of 2002 requires the study to be conducted and a recommendation to be made within one year of the bill's enactment. Once this process is complete, a second bill would officially designate the site as a National Park. Connecticut currently has only one National Park site, the Weir Farm National Historic Site, which sits on the Ridgefield-Wilton Town Line.

"Coltsville is a bridge to Connecticut's rich and storied past. It should be preserved and treasured," said Dodd. "This study is an important first step in ensuring that Coltsville's wonderful legacy is there for future generations."

"Coltsville is a unique part of our common heritage in Connecticut, and deserves to be protected and preserved for future generations," Lieberman said. "Even as we watch a new information revolution transform our economy and our society, it does us good to look back at Coltsville and appreciate how it changed the world. This legislation is a first step in giving this nationally significant area the acknowledgment it deserves."

"This legislation is the first major step in the process of preserving and cultivating the history of Coltsville and Hartford's industrial heritage," said Larson. "Coltsville is a unique regional and international landmark and I look forward to its significance being utilized as part of the redevelopment of the Capital city."

In addition to being a pioneer in the precision manufacturing of firearms, Samuel Colt's legacy includes assisting in the development of telegraph technology, advancements in jet engine technology by Colt apprentices Francis Pratt and Amos Whitney, and the distinction of being the first United States resident to open a manufacturing plant overseas.

The Coltsville property, inspired by Samuel Colt and his wife Elizabeth, is built around the original Colt armory and features additional historic structures such as Victorian homes, old mill housing, the Church of the Good Shepherd, and the Colt Memorial. If Coltsville were to become a national park, it would serve as the central attraction on a tour of historic and scenic Hartford that already includes the Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe houses, the riverfront, and Adriaen's Landing. The tourist interest sparked by the site would work in tandem with projects stimulating business growth to contribute significantly to the continuing economic revival of Connecticut 's capital city.

Dodd, Lieberman and Larson today expressed their eagerness to work with their colleagues on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the House Resources Committee to ensure swift consideration of their legislation.

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