The Frances Perkins Center is a nonprofit organization located in Newcastle, Maine . Its mission is to inspire current and future generations to understand and uphold the government's role in providing social justice and economic security for all, based on the vision of workers’ rights advocate Frances Perkins .
14-642: The Center is located at the Frances Perkins Homestead in Newcastle, which was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2014. Its house and connected farm buildings are owned by the Center. The Frances Perkins Homestead National Historic Landmark has been owned and managed by the Center since 2020. It includes 57 acres of woods and fields along the Damariscotta River , and an 1837 brick house listed in
28-491: A brick two-story house, built in 1837, which is connected by a series of additions to a barn that was originally freestanding. A short way east of the barn is a small late-19th century outbuilding, which has seen a variety of uses, including as a chicken house and art studio. The property has been owned by the Perkins family for more than 250 years. When Frances Perkins was a child, she often spent summers with her grandmother on
42-575: Is a member of the Cabinet of the United States , and as the head of the United States Department of Labor , controls the department, and enforces and suggests laws involving unions , the workplace , and all other issues involving any form of business-person controversies. Formerly, there was a Department of Commerce and Labor . That department split into two in 1913. The Department of Commerce
56-493: Is headed by the secretary of commerce . Secretary of labor is a Level I position in the Executive Schedule , thus earning a salary of $ 221,400 as of January 2021. Julie Su has been serving as acting secretary since the resignation of Marty Walsh on March 11, 2023. Democratic (13) Republican (16) Status Acting Secretary of Labor The line of succession for
70-750: The Frances Perkins Center , a nonprofit dedicated to inspiring current and future generations to understand and uphold the government’s role in providing social justice and economic security for all. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland visited the Homestead in August 2024 while advocates and the Perkins Center call for the site to be designated a national monument . United States Secretary of Labor The United States secretary of labor
84-488: The National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark in 2014. The site was home to generations of the Perkins family dating back to the 1750s. In 2023, the Center completed a $ 3.5 million renovation project, protecting the farmhouse and other structures from deterioration. That same year, it hosted an awards ceremony to celebrate the Center's reopening for public visitation. In June 2024,
98-627: The Center sought support for designating Perkins' home as a national monument. The organization claimed the designation would "shine a brighter light on the so-called only woman in the room." The Center's executive director is Giovanna Gray Lockhart . Amanda Hatch serves as deputy director. Perkins Homestead The Perkins Homestead , also known as the Brick House , is a historic homestead at 478 River Road in Newcastle, Maine . The 57-acre (23 ha) property, including its 1837 brick farmhouse,
112-694: The Center was awarded a $ 750,000 grant by the Mellon Foundation . It became the first organization in Maine to receive funds from the Mellon Foundation's grant program. Distributed over three years, the grant money is meant to advance the Center's mission of historic preservation, enhance educational programming, and support staffing. The Center hosts a self-guided exhibit dedicated to Perkins’ life and work. Open seasonally, it displays artifacts, photographs, and other items to tell Perkins’ story. In August 2024,
126-409: The Maine homestead, and inherited it with her sister in 1927. She was its primary resident and caretaker until her death in 1965. The property was first listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its pre-20th century historical and archaeological importance in 2009, and was designated a National Historic Landmark for its association with Perkins in 2014. The property is currently run by
140-587: The aftermath of the blaze, which killed 146 workers. Perkins was appointed Secretary of Labor by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1933, a time when the country was suffering great unemployment in the Great Depression . Perkins was responsible for seeing through legislative enactment of significant labor reforms, including the 40-hour work week, bans on child labor, and unemployment and worker compensation programs. Perkins regularly spent summers at
154-415: The east side of River Road, about 2 miles (3.2 km) south of the center of Newcastle, Maine . The roughly rectangular property slopes from the road down to the Damariscotta River , which like the road runs generally north–south. The westernmost part of the property includes all of its buildings, a walled garden, and a tract of historic farmland just north of the building complex. The central portion of
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#1733084759397168-420: The property is forested, with paths lined by stone walls leading to agricultural fields in the plain adjacent to the river. The easternmost area, in addition to these agricultural fields, includes the remains of several other Perkins family residences, and the remains of a brickmaking operation. This area also includes the archaeological remains of an 18th-century garrison house. The homestead complex consists of
182-563: The property, and it was her home in the later years of her life. She and members of her immediate family are buried in the family cemetery, which is on the property. Perkins, born in 1880, was educated at Mount Holyoke College , and was working as a social worker in New York City when the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire occurred in 1911. Perkins's profile was raised by her leadership in advocating for changes to fire codes in
196-676: Was designated a National Historic Landmark for its association with the life of Frances Perkins (1880–1965), the first woman to hold a position in the United States Cabinet . Perkins spent many years, both as a child and later as an adult, at this property, which she considered to be her true home. The property was first listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009 as the Brick House Historic District in part for its archaeological significance. The Perkins Homestead occupies 57 acres (23 ha) of land on
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