May 7, 2008, 5:59 pm
A proposal to declare a 175-mile stretch from Monticello to Gettysburg a National Heritage Area has cleared its final legislative hurdle and awaits President Bush's signature.
The House of Representatives voted Tuesday to grant the designation to the Journey Through Hallowed Ground, a corridor that encompasses parts of Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. The Senate approved the measure last month.
For three years, activists and legislative leaders have been seeking the designation, which they say will boost tourism and bring federal grants to an area with a high concentration of presidential homes, Civil War battlefields and other historic sites.
