Governor Samuel Huntington Birthplace Designated as a National Treasure!contributed by Channing M. Huntington, II  I am proposing a public-private partnership to advance our arts and humanities, and to celebrate the millennium by saving America's treasures, great and small. The arrival of the new millennium presents a unique opportunity to take stock of who we are as Americans...and what we want to carry into the 21st century. From the Star-Spangled Banner, to the ancient cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park, to historic monuments in our hometowns, the testaments to our diverse American experience can be found in communities across the country. Unfortunately, too many of the historic sites, monuments, artifacts and documents that tell Americašs story are deteriorating and in danger of being lost forever. These treasures urgently require conservation and preservation to survive into the next millennium. To focus public attention on the importance of our national heritage and the need to save our treasures at risk, in early 1998 the White House Millennium Council teamed with the National Trust for Historic Preservation to establish Save Americašs Treasures. The program is a national effort to protect Americašs threatened cultural treasures, including significant documents, works of art, maps, journals, and historic structures that document and illuminate the history and culture of the United States. Save America's Treasures is dedicated to identifying and rescuing the enduring symbols of American tradition that define us as a nation. It is with great pleasure that the Gov. Samuel Huntington Trust (GSHT) announces that the Gov. Samuel Huntington Birthplace in Scotland, CT has been designated as an Official Project of Save America's Treasures (SAT). The Birthplace is among a select group of historic resources chosen to represent Americašs treasures in need of support. Samuel Huntington was an important figure in the Revolutionary War and the founding of the United States of America. Born in Scotland, CT he was a self educated Attorney who participated in the birth of our nation. He was a member of the Continental Congress, twice President of that Congress; He was one of the four Connecticut Signers of the Declaration of Independence. It should be noted that Samuel Huntington was President of the Continental Congress on March 1, 1781 when the last state ratified the Articles of Confederation, and our country became "The United States of America". In this sense it can be claimed that Samuel was the first president of the United States. The Samuel Huntington Birthplace is a remarkably well-preserved site that is presently being restored by the Trust in anticipation of being the major attraction of The Huntington Homestead Museum. The Trust has an ongoing program of archeological and architectural research at the site with workshops open to the public. The birthplace, which is a National Landmark, is the only home of Connecticut's four signers of the Declaration that is open to the public. Program Administration Save Americašs Treasures is a public-private partnership of the White House Millennium Council and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. To serve an advisory role to the program, the Millennium Committee to Save America's Treasures was formed. Led by Honorary Chair First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Millennium Committee consists of private individuals, representatives from corporations and foundations, as well as experts in fields of history, architecture and historic preservation. The Millennium Committee is co-chaired by Susan Eisenhower, granddaughter of former president Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Richard Moe, President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The National Trust works closely with two associate partners that are active in determining goals and developing public awareness and educational activities for Save America's Treasures. The first, Heritage Preservation, is a leading advocate for the preservation of Americašs heritage, including works of art, books, documents, films, scientific collections and more. The other partner in the Save Americašs Treasures program is the National Park Foundation, which secures sustaining support for our National Parks, where many of our national treasures reside. By giving our own gifts to the future, we can make sure that when the new millennium finally comes, we wonšt just be celebrating a new year, we will be celebrating the enduring strength of our democracy, the renewal of our sense of citizenship and the full flowering of the American mind and spirit.
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