[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 7 (Friday, January 12, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S517]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. WARNER (for himself, Mr. Cardin, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Webb, 
        Mr. Casey, and Mr. Rockefeller):
  S. 289. A bill to establish the Journey Through Hallowed Ground 
National Heritage Area, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Journey 
Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area Act, S. 289, a piece of 
legislation that seeks to designate some of Virginia's, indeed 
America's, most historic and beautiful lands as a national heritage 
area.
  As I am sure my colleagues are aware, national heritage areas are 
intended to encourage residents, government agencies, nonprofit groups, 
and private partners to collaboratively plan and implement programs and 
projects to recognize, preserve, and celebrate many of America's 
defining landscapes. Today, there are 37 national heritage areas spread 
out across the United States.
  In Virginia, we are lucky enough to have a landscape that is worthy 
of the recognition and celebration that a national heritage area 
designation would afford it. Stretching through four states, and 
generally following the path of the Old Carolina Road, today's Route 
15, the Journey Through Hallowed Ground is home to some of our Nation's 
greatest historic, cultural, and natural treasures. The region's riches 
read like a star-studded list of American History: Monticello, 
Montpelier, Manassas, Gettysburg. The list goes on. In all, there are 
eight presidential homes, 15 National Historic Landmarks, 47 historic 
districts, and the largest collection of Revolutionary and Civil War 
battlefields in the country. It is an area, literally, where America 
happened.
  With the help and tutelage of the National Park Service, this 
proposed heritage area would be managed by the Journey Through Hallowed 
Ground Partnership, a nonprofit entity whose sole purpose is to trumpet 
the magnificence of the hallowed ground's offerings. I am confident 
that the Partnership will be tremendous promoters and wonderful 
stewards of the resources within the Route 15 corridor. Already, the 
partnership has spent years heralding the Region's spectacular natural 
and historical resources, and they have worked hard to get this area 
the designation and recognition it deserves.
  Mr. President, no area in America could possibly be more deserving of 
the national heritage area designation than the region affectionately 
known as the Journey Through Hallowed Ground. Therefore, I urge my 
colleagues to join me in support of this legislation, and I thank you 
for this opportunity to speak on behalf of the Journey Through Hallowed 
Ground National Heritage Area Act.
  Mr. WEBB. Mr. President, I am proud to support the Journey Through 
Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area Act. Today, that bill is being 
introduced by my esteemed colleague, Senator Warner, along with myself 
and other Members of the Senate. A bipartisan group also has introduced 
this bill in the House of Representatives.
  This bill will designate the corridor that runs between Gettysburg, 
PA, and Charlottesville, VA, as a National Heritage Area. Within this 
proposed area, there are numerous sites of historic importance, 
including eight Presidential homes. This hallowed ground is a 
geographic area of immense beauty, history, and cultural significance, 
which will be protected under the terms of this bill.
  For me, this hallowed ground has special personal significance, 
drawing me back to thoughts of my ancestors who settled and worked much 
of this land centuries before. I cannot visit this part of the country 
without harkening back to the tough, resilient women on buckboard 
wagons, hard men with rifles walking alongside, and kids tending cattle 
as they made their way down the mud trail called the Wilderness Road.
  As I wrote in my book ``Born Fighting,'' my ancestors--the Scots-
Irish--were a proud, adventurous people who left their native lands for 
the early American colonies in the 18th century. The majority of these 
courageous pioneers settled along the Appalachian Mountains from 
Pennsylvania southward into Virginia and beyond. Ultimately, they 
migrated westward, in the process helping to shape America's 
independent, individualistic, unbridled culture.
  This bill will help preserve the legacy of these early settlers for 
future generations. Moreover, this bill is a truly patriotic piece of 
legislation--one that will help us capture the rich diversity and 
historic experiences of our American forefathers and mothers.
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