President Bush signed into law May 8 legislation designating a portion of U.S. 15 dubbed the Journey Through Hallowed Ground -- a national heritage area.

The long-debated bill creates an area that will tie together all the historical and cultural sites in the U.S. 15 corridor from Thomas Jeffersons Monticello in Charlottesville, north through Fauquier, Prince William and Loudoun counties, to Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania.

Sites in Loudoun on the Journey include Morven Park, Oatlands Plantation and Dodona Manor.

U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-10th) introduced the legislation to establish the heritage area in April 2006.

By designating this corridor as a national heritage area, the route will be celebrated, honored and shared with our children, grandchildren and generations to come, Wolf said.

Sen. John Warner (R) sponsored the bill in the U.S. Senate.

The Journey Through Hallowed Ground is modeled after the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District. The new designation will create a partnership between federal, state and local governments, as well as businesses and civic organizations, to conserve and promote the historic and cultural resources along the route, Wolf added.

To learn more, see www.hallowedground.org.