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Managing America: Parks & Public Land

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Week Ending March 23, 2006

H.R.1021 To direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resources study regarding the suitability and feasibility of designating certain historic buildings and areas in Taunton, Massachusetts, as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes.

Taunton, MA is home to 9 historic districts with 600 properties on the National Register of Historic Places. Included are Church Green Historic District (HD); the Courthouse HD; the Taunton Green HD and the Reed and Barton HD.

Besides a signer of the Declaration of Independence Taunton was a leader in the industrial revolution through silver paper and boat manufacturing. The town dates back to 1638 and began as a destination for immigrants from Europe and elsewhere.

A study is ordered in the bill to consult with various preservation officers and historic societies regarding the suitability and feasibility of designating certain historic buildings and areas in Taunton as a unit of the National Park System. (NPS)

The study seeks answers to whether or not the propose designations can be managed, curated, interpreted, restored, preserved and presented as an organic whole under the NPS. The study would also seek feasibility of an assemblage of natural, historic and cultural resources that together present distinctive aspects of American heritage worthy of recognition and continuing use and if it reflects traditions, customs, beliefs and historical events valuable to the national story.

Further to be considered is if the effort would provide outstanding opportunities to conserve, historic, cultural, architectural or scenic features as well as provide outstanding recreational and educational opportunities and finally if the effort can be managed by NPS in partnership with residents, businesses, non-profits and State and local governments.

A report is due in three years from the date this bill is funded. The report will address concerns expressed by private property owners.

Sponsor:  Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA-4^th)

Vote: Passed House by voice vote March 20, 2007.

Cost to the taxpayers: The bill did not include any authorization or appropriation of funds.

Earmark Certification:   Without any request for funding earmark regulations would not apply.

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MORE INFORMATION

Congress finds the following:

(1) The city of Taunton, Massachusetts, is home to 9 distinct historic districts, with more than 600 properties on the National Register of Historic Places. Included among these districts are the Church Green Historic District, the Courthouse Historic District, the Taunton Green Historic District, and the Reed and Barton Historic District.

(2) All of these districts include buildings and building facades of great historical, cultural, and architectural value.

(3) Taunton Green is the site where the Sons of Liberty first raised the Liberty and Union Flag in 1774, an event that helped to spark a popular movement, culminating in the American Revolution, and Taunton citizens have been among the first to volunteer for America's subsequent wars.

(4) Robert Treat Paine, a citizen of Taunton, and the first Attorney General of Massachusetts, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

(5) Taunton was a leading community in the Industrial Revolution, and its industrial area has been the site of many innovations in such industries as silver manufacture, paper manufacture, and ship building.

(6) The landscaping of the Courthouse Green was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who also left landscaping ideas and plans for other areas in the city which have great value and interest as historical archives and objects of future study.

(7) Main Street, which connects many of the historic districts, is home to the Taunton City Hall and the Leonard Block building, 2 outstanding examples of early 19th Century American architecture, as well as many other historically and architecturally significant structures.

(8) The city and people of Taunton have preserved many artifacts, gravesites, and important documents dating back to 1638 when Taunton was founded.

(9) Taunton was and continues to be an important destination for immigrants from Europe and other parts of the world who have helped to give Southeastern Massachusetts its unique ethnic character.

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