N.J.'s Crossroads heritage area gains federal funding
The Fiscal Year 2008 Appropriations Bill approved in Congress on Dec. 19 includes $150,000 for the Crossroads of the American Revolution National Heritage Area, Congressman Rush Holt (D-N.J.) announced.

The approval of funds in the National Park Service budget marks the first time Congress has allocated federal dollars to the heritage area since President George Bush signed into law its dedication in October 2006, according to a press release from Holt.

Over the last eight years, Holt worked with Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.), then-Sen. Jon Corzine, Sen. Frank Lautenberg and and Sen. Robert Menendez, and the rest of the New Jersey delegation to pass legislation designating Crossroads as a national heritage area.

"Having been committed to the Crossroads National Heritage Area for years, I am pleased that funding was included in the park service's 2008 budget," Holt said.

"Despite featuring over 290 military engagements and serving as a buffer between rebel stronghold Philadelphia and British stronghold New York City, New Jersey's role in theAmerican Revolution is often overlooked. This overdue infusion of federal dollars will help develop the Crossroads area into a valuable educational resource of our country's past," he said.

The Crossroads National Heritage Area, a unit of the National Park Service, is based at Morristown National Historical Park and in Trenton, and spans 14 New Jersey counties, including Somerset, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Mercer and Monmouth.

The heritage area ties together New Jersey's Revolutionary War, national, state and municipal historic sites and parks, emphasizing New Jersey's role in the American Revolution.

Congress designated the Crossroads of the American Revolution Association as the managing entity for the National Heritage Area. Founded in 2002, the association is providing heritage education, environmental conservation, historic preservation, recreational heritage trails and heritage-based economic development. The association is working with the city of Trenton and the Trenton Downtown Association to hold Patriot Week, Dec. 26-31.

In 2000, Holt worked with Frelinghuysen to direct the National Park Service to conduct a feasibility study on the Crossroads of the American Revolution National Heritage Area, according to the press release.

Bush was expected to sign the funding bill last week.