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Frances Perkins Center

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The Frances Perkins Center is a nonprofit organization located in Newcastle, Maine.[1][2] 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.

The Center is located at the Frances Perkins Homestead in Newcastle, which was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2014.[3] Its house and connected farm buildings are owned by the Center.

History

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The Frances Perkins Homestead National Historic Landmark has been owned and managed by the Center since 2020.[4] It includes 57 acres of woods and fields along the Damariscotta River, and an 1837 brick house listed in the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark in 2014.[5][6][7] The site was home to generations of the Perkins family dating back to the 1750s.[8]

In 2023, the Center completed a $3.5 million renovation project, protecting the farmhouse and other structures from deterioration.[9] That same year, it hosted an awards ceremony to celebrate the Center's reopening for public visitation.[10]

In June 2024, the Center was awarded a $750,000 grant by the Mellon Foundation.[11] It became the first organization in Maine to receive funds from the Mellon Foundation's grant program.[12] Distributed over three years, the grant money is meant to advance the Center's mission of historic preservation, enhance educational programming, and support staffing.[13]

The Center hosts a self-guided exhibit dedicated to Perkins’ life and work.[14] Open seasonally, it displays artifacts, photographs, and other items to tell Perkins’ story.[15]

In August 2024, the Center sought support for designating Perkins' home as a national monument.[16][17] The organization claimed the designation would "shine a brighter light on the so-called only woman in the room."[18][19]

Leadership

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The Center's executive director is Giovanna Gray Lockhart.[20][21][22] Amanda Hatch serves as deputy director.[23]

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References

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  1. ^ "A New Chapter for the Frances Perkins Homestead | National Trust for Historic Preservation". savingplaces.org. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
  2. ^ "Frances Perkins Center". www.mainetourism.com. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
  3. ^ "Preserve the Frances Perkins Homestead as a National Park Site". National Parks Conservation Association. Retrieved 2024-10-31.
  4. ^ "$750K grant to historic Newcastle homestead will support staffing and more". Mainebiz. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
  5. ^ "$750K grant to historic Newcastle homestead will support staffing and more". Mainebiz. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
  6. ^ "Maine leaders seek national monument for home of Frances Perkins, 1st woman Cabinet member". AP News. 2024-08-08. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
  7. ^ Joselow, Maxine (2024-08-08). "Few national monuments honor women. Biden will create this new one". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
  8. ^ "An Act To Conserve the Frances Perkins Homestead National Historic Landmark" (PDF). Senate of Maine.
  9. ^ "Historic homestead in Newcastle completes $3.5M renovation". Mainebiz. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
  10. ^ "Newcastle's Frances Perkins Center holds celebration, awards ceremony". Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel. 2023-08-24. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
  11. ^ "Frances Perkins Center awarded $750K Mellon Foundation Humanities in Place grant". Lewiston Sun Journal. 2024-06-15. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
  12. ^ "Frances Perkins Center awarded $750K Mellon Foundation Humanities in Place grant". Lewiston Sun Journal. 2024-06-15. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
  13. ^ "$750K grant to historic Newcastle homestead will support staffing and more". Mainebiz. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
  14. ^ WGME, Miles Bergquist (2024-07-05). "Exhibit dedicated to Frances Perkins, first ever female Cabinet member, opens for season". WPFO. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
  15. ^ "Perkins homestead open in Newcastle to honor FDR's labor secretary". spectrumlocalnews.com. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
  16. ^ "Maine leaders seek national monument for home of Frances Perkins, 1st woman Cabinet member". AP News. 2024-08-08. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
  17. ^ "Perkins Homestead Seeking National Monument Designation". The Lincoln County News. 2024-08-15. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
  18. ^ "Interior secretary visits Frances Perkins site as part of national monument bid". spectrumlocalnews.com. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
  19. ^ History, Rebecca Brenner Graham / Made by (2024-10-21). "Frances Perkins, Modern Politics, and Historical Memory". TIME. Retrieved 2024-10-31.
  20. ^ "Giovanna Gray Lockhart Named Executive Director of The Frances Perkins Center". The Lincoln County News. 2023-07-27. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
  21. ^ "Frances Perkins' lasting impact". Maine Public. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
  22. ^ "A new national park for a long-ago American heroine?". federalnewsnetwork.com. 2024-10-29. Retrieved 2024-10-31.
  23. ^ "Frances Perkins Center Hires First Deputy Director". The Lincoln County News. 2024-07-03. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
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