[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 22 (Thursday, February 15, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1526-S1527]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. TORRICELLI (for himself, and Mr. Corzine):
  S. 386. A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study 
the suitability and feasibility of designating the Great Falls Historic 
District in the city of Paterson, in Passaic County, New Jersey, as a 
unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes; to the 
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mr. TORRICELLI. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation 
to recognize the historical significance of the Great Falls area in 
Paterson, New Jersey. I am joined by my colleagues from New Jersey, 
Senator Corzine, and pleased to announce that companion legislation has 
already been introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman 
Bill Pascrell.
  Paterson is known as America's first industrialized city. Alexander 
Hamilton founded Paterson in 1792 as a mercantile private-public 
partnership, using the powerful falls to power industry. He built a 
laboratory, and established the Society for the Establishment of Useful 
Manufactures which actively promoted the textiles industry. Textiles 
were a large part of the development of industry in Paterson, once 
known as the Silk City, and regarded as the center of the textile 
industry for many years.
  New and developing industries located to Paterson and contributed to 
the growth of the city. New immigrants, arriving at nearby Ellis 
Island, settled in Paterson, and provided the workforce necessary for 
this newly industrialized city to thrive.
  Rich in history, the Paterson Great Falls is also endowed with 
natural beauty. The Great Falls is an island of beauty in a sea of 
urban development. The Great Falls is the second largest waterfall on 
the East Coast, and attracts visitors from within and outside of New 
Jersey.
  Paterson Great Falls is also an educational tool for New Jersey's 
children. Students young and old travel to Paterson Great Falls to 
witness its natural splendor, to learn about the industrial revolution, 
and the pioneers who helped build our Nation.
  This area is truly a valuable asset to the State of New Jersey, and I 
feel it is

[[Page S1527]]

only proper to share this wonderful resource with the entire nation by 
establishing the Paterson Great Falls as a unit of the National Park 
Service, NPS.
  The Federal Government has already acknowledged the significance of 
Great Falls, by designating the area a national historic landmark. 
Establishing it as a unit of the NPS would increase the presence Great 
Falls, and the NPS would provide staff and tours, and allow for a 
better, more educational interpretation of the site.
  This designation is warranted. Our Nation's urban history is 
currently under-represented by the NPS. Not many sites tell the story 
of the growth of our Nation and its economy from that of agrarian to 
industrial. Other than Lowell, Massachusetts, a one-time industry 
powerhouse whose historic district was designated a national park, I am 
not aware of another NPS site which represents our Nation's rich urban 
history.
  My legislation would take the first step towards this important 
designation by directing the NPS to study the feasibility of 
establishing a national park at the Paterson Great Falls area. I ask 
that my colleagues join me in support of this worthy effort, so that a 
critical chapter in the story of our nation may be told to future 
generations.

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