Blumenthal, Murphy, Courtney, Esty Statement Regarding Designation of Stonington and Cornwall Sites as National Historic Landmarks

BLUMENTHAL, MURPHY, COURTNEY, ESTY STATEMENT REGARDING DESIGNATION OF STONINGTON AND CORNWALL SITES AS NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARKS

(Hartford, CT) – U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-2) and Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty (CT-5) today released a statement applauding news that the U.S. Department of the Interior has designated the James Merrill House in Stonington and the Steward’s House Foreign Mission School in Cornwall as national historic landmarks:

“The James Merrill House in Stonington and the Foreign Mission School in Cornwall are national treasures—proud tributes to Connecticut’s deep historic contributions to the arts, racial justice and the LGBTQ community. These two homes fully embody what it means to be national historic landmarks, and we hope that this important and fitting designation will bring new attention and appreciation for these unique pieces of Connecticut’s history,” Blumenthal, Murphy, Courtney and Esty said. 

Brown University history professor Caroline Frank submitted the application on behalf of the Foreign Mission School.

“The National Parks Service has an initiative underway to improve the diversity of peoples represented in the sites it designates. This structure offers an excellent example of that as it was home to young men from all over the world in early republic America. Few people realize that many South Pacific Islanders, Asians and Hawaiians were present in New England interacting with people in rural America at this time. This site indicates that there is more work that needs to be done in recovering this history of diversity,” Frank said.

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