by Historic Hudson Valley, an organization devoted to historic preservation in the Hudson River Valley. Croton North Railroad Station. The Croton North Station, constructed in the 1890s, is located on the west side of Route 9 south of Brook Street. The Station served as the second MetroNorth railroad stop in Croton-on-Hudson until the mid-1900s. The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. PAGE 55 CROTON COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 126 Old Post Road North. 126 Old Post Road was built in 1905 in the English Cotswald style. The fieldstone house was built from the same stone used in the construction of the Croton Dam. The house is one of a network of structures that were part of the former Wyndhurst Estate and is listed on Westchester County’s inventory of historic places. Baker House, 35 Old Post Road North. The Baker House was constructed in 1927 of the same material used in the Wyndhurst Estate houses. The house, listed on Westchester County’s inventory of historic places, is constructed of the same stone used for the Croton Dam. Bethel Chapel, Old Post Road South. Built in the late 1700s, the chapel was home to Croton-on-Hudson’s Methodist congregation until it moved into the Asbury Church in 1883. The adjoining cemetery contains the graves of several Revolutionary War soldiers and Indians. The Chapel is on the National Register of Historic Places. Relevant Historic Preservation Programs Historic River Towns of Westchester (HRTW) is a consortium of 12 municipalities along the east bank of the Hudson River, including Peekskill, Cortlandt, Buchanan, Croton-on-Hudson, Town and Village of Ossining, Briarcliff Manor, Sleepy Hollow, Tarrytown, Irvington, Dobbs Ferry, Hastings-on-Hudson, and Yonkers, as well as Historic Hudson Valley. These communities participate in joint activities (including the popular Hudson Heritage Festival in the fall) to promote the historic and cultural heritage of the area. As previously discussed in Section 3.2.g, HRTW has worked with the Westchester County Planning Department and Hudson River Valley Greenway since 1996 on a variety of initiatives relating to tourism and economic development, including the preparation of a Greenway Compact Plan. HRTW and New York State Department of State are currently working with Westchester County on a Regional Signage System Study. Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area. National Heritage Areas are National Park Service designations involving cohesive and important American landscapes with distinctive scenic, historic, and cultural resources. They involve voluntary partnerships among federal, state and local governments rather than land acquisitions and regulation. Legislation to establish the Hudson River Valley as a National Heritage area was first introduced by Congressman Maurice Hinchey of Saugerties in 1994. An amended version of the PAGE 56 CROTON COMPREHENSIVE PLAN legislation passed in 1996 and was signed by President Clinton in November. At the time, eight other heritage areas were designated. The legislation defines the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area as all of Albany, Orange, Rockland, Putnam, Ulster and Westchester counties and parts of Rensselaer, Columbia, Greene and Dutchess. It authorizes $10 million in implementation funding over a 15-year period, as well as $5 million in program support. It names the Greenway Council and Greenway Conservancy as the Heritage Area Management Entities for the program. Under the legislation, the Greenway, working with the National Park Service and the counties and communities in the Hudson Valley, is to develop themes relating to such topics as the Revolutionary War, the Hudson River School of Art, the Industrial Revolution and patterns of rural landscape and agriculture. The themes will be linked together in an overall Heritage Area plan designed to encourage tourism, recreation, preservation of community character and linkages of physical and cultural resources. American Heritage River. The Hudson has the distinction of being an American Heritage River, one of only ten rivers designated by the President in 1999 as part of a program to help communities restore and revitalize waters and waterfronts. The American Heritage Rivers Initiative integrates the economic, environmental, and historic preservation programs and services of federal agencies to benefit communities engaged in efforts to protect their rivers. A full time contact from a federal agency, called a "River Navigator," helps match community needs with available resources from existing programs. The Natural Resources Conservation Service has been chosen as the lead agency for the Hudson River. f. Community and Cultural Resources The Croton Council on the Arts, a non-profit group founded in 1976, promotes the arts in Croton-on-Hudson and sponsors events featuring local and visiting artists. The CCoA organizes several annual events, including Photographers of Northern Westchester, the “Local Color” Exhibition and “ArtsJam.” The photography exhibit, co-sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Croton-on-Hudson, features works by professional and amateur photographers from Northern Westchester. The “Local Color” show, held each Spring in Ossining, exhibits art work by CCoA members and ArtsJam, also held in the Spring at Senasqua