Taunton, Massachusetts Special Resources Study Act

Mr. Speaker, I thank the members of the committee who have brought this bill forward.

This is a bill that has particular meaning to me. The City of Taunton has been in the district I have been privileged to represent for just a couple of years. Prior to that, it was represented by one of our late colleagues; and when you talk about history, which this bill does, building as it does on the history of the City of Taunton, you could not talk about the history of this institution without some reference to the man who represented Taunton before me and that is our late colleague, Joe Moakley.

Joe Moakley represented Taunton for years. He was the one under whose representation the discussion of a national park began. I was privileged to take this over actually from his immediate successor, my colleague, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch). It is on behalf of both of us that we present this, and we do want to invoke the memory of Joe Moakley when we go forward with this bill.

The City of Taunton, Massachusetts, is a wonderful place. I am lucky enough to have one of my congressional district offices right in the heart of this area. I have checked and I do not believe I will derive any particular benefit from it, so I do not have to vote ``present'' on the bill. What I do have is a chance right now to really be a part of this great history.

The Sons of Liberty Flag was first raised here. The Sons of Liberty raised

the flag Liberty Union in 1774. There were buildings that played an important role in the Revolution. They were there in Taunton. Taunton Green is a major place in our history. We would include here the Church Green Historic District. It has the Church Green National Register district.

One of the original settlers, and I think this is particularly relevant to talk about, the modern impact of this, Elizabeth Pole was the first woman we believe to found a community in America, and on the seal of the city of Taunton the phrase ``Dux Femina Facti'' is included. That translates, I am reliably informed by better Latin scholars than myself, into ``the person responsible for this was a woman.''

It was in early recognition of what we are still dealing with, namely, that we make a great mistake when we refuse to give individuals the full opportunity to engage their talents, no matter what their gender or whatever other characteristics that they have.

I realize that this does not mean that we get a park immediately. It begins the process of study. I am confident, Mr. Speaker, that an objective study of the sort we get from the excellent staff that we have at the National Park Service will document the importance to the history of this country of this area of Taunton and the importance of making it a part of our National Park System. I thank the two gentlemen from New Mexico for their energy and work in this.

Mr. Speaker, the following is a list of some of the salient points of the City of Taunton.

The city of Taunton has a history of equality, patriotism,

commerce and innovation that make the areas ideal candidates

for inclusion within the National Park System. The area to be

included within the study includes the Church Green Historic

District, which includes the Church Green National Register

District, Main Street, and the Taunton Green National

Register District.

Among the original settlers of Taunton, Elizabeth Pole is

credited as being the first female to found a community in

America. Her legacy is preserved at the Old Colony Historical

Society Museum on Church Green. The role that Elizabeth Pole,

a woman, played in founding Taunton is an important aspect of

our colonial history that should be emphasized as part of the

study. The National Park System has devoted many resources to

the role of women in our nation and history. However, no

other site presently in the National Park System matches the

unique circumstances surrounding Ms. Pole and her role as a

pioneering colonial female. The phrase ``Dux femina facti''

which translates into ``the person responsible for the deed

or accomplishment was a woman'' adorns the Seal of the City

of Taunton.

A statue of Robert Treat Paine symbolically faces away from

the Church Green National Registered District down Main

Street towards the Taunton Green National Registered

District. With the transformation from English colony towards

independent nation, the center of the city moved towards the

Taunton Green. Robert Treat Paine, a Taunton resident, was as

a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He along with

John Adams served as members of the First Continental

Congress in 1774. Paine and Adams' careers were linked again

as Paine served as an Associate Prosecutor at the trial of

the Boston Massacre. Paine went on to become the first

Attorney General of Massachusetts and was a member of the

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. While serving in the

Continental Congress in October of 1774, Paine was not a

party to the historic event that occurred near his home when

the Sons of Liberty raised the ``Liberty & Union'' or

``Taunton Flag'' on October 21, 1774 over Taunton Green on a

112-foot Liberty Pole. The Liberty and Union flag that still

flies over the Taunton Green is recognized as the first flag

of open defiance to the crown.

In addition to Robert Treat Paine, Taunton's General David

Cobb left his mark on the Revolutionary War. General Cobb

served as aide-de-camp to General Washington and was

entrusted with the duty of negotiating the evacuation of New

York. After the war, General Cobb served as Judge of the

Court of Common Pleas for Bristol County and was instrumental

in preventing bloodshed in Bristol County during Shay's

Rebellion.

As such, the history of the revolutionary war as symbolized

by Robert Treat Paine, General Cobb, the Sons of Liberty and

the Taunton Green are an important component of the study.

The distance down Main Street from Church Green to Taunton

Green past the homes of Paine and Cobb and Elizabeth Pole to

the Liberty & Union Flag are symbolic of our transformation

from colony to independent nation.

The anchor for the U.S.S. Constitution was forged in

Taunton, as was the anchor for the Civil War's Monitor. The

Taunton River served as a catalyst for industry and trade. At

one point, Taunton was one of the busiest inland ports on the

Atlantic coast.

The prime industry throughout Taunton history has been

silver. To this day Taunton is known by many as the ``Silver

City.'' As with Taunton's political, cultural and religious

legacy, the silver industry was born on Main Street, between

Church Green and Taunton Green. In 1824, Isaac Babbitt

invented and manufactured a new alloy that resulted in pewter

ware of a greater quality than ever before manufactured. Two

employees, Henry G. Reed and Charles E. Barton went on to

found Reed and Barton, one of the oldest privately held

companies in the nation and set a standard of excellence

known throughout the world. The standards established by Reed

& Barton are evident to this day; in 1994 Reed & Barton was

selected to produce all of the victory medals for the 1996

Atlanta Olympic Games.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1512) 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, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1512.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1512, introduced by the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank), would direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resources study regarding the suitability and feasibility of designating certain historic buildings and areas of the City of Taunton, Massachusetts, as a unit of the National Park System. It was in the City of Taunton where the Sons of Liberty first raised the Liberty and Union Flag in 1774, an event that helped to spark the American Revolution.

I urge the adoption of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the staff, both majority and minority; and I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank) for submitting this valuable legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

(Mr. UDALL of New Mexico asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, the Taunton area to be included in the study authorized by H.R. 1512 is rich in cultural and historic resources. A comprehensive study of these resources will help determine if inclusion within the National Park System is appropriate.

The sponsor of this legislation, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank), is to be commended for his tenacity and resolve in pursuing this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank).

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the entire staff of the Committee on Resources, especially Dave Watkins, for their work on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.