The U.S. National Park System got its 433rd addition this week, when President Joe Biden established the Frances Perkins National Monument in Newcastle, Maine.
Though not exactly a household name today, Perkins (1880–1965) was a pioneering figure in women’s history and the labor rights movement.
In 1933, she became the first woman to serve in a presidential Cabinet, becoming Secretary of Labor under Franklin D. Roosevelt and continuing in that post for 12 years—longer than anyone before or since.
During that time, Perkins became the “leading architect” of FDR’s Depression-era New Deal programs, according to the White House, engineering sweeping reforms for workers, including the introduction of Social Security benefits, a minimum wage, paid overtime, unemployment insurance, and stronger standards for safety and the prohibition of child labor.
Before signing the proclamation designating the new monument, Biden called Perkins “one of America’s greatest labor leaders” in a speech delivered at the Labor Department’s Washington, D.C., building—which, incidentally, is named after Perkins.
In a statement, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, whose department oversees the National Park Service, described Perkins as an “incredible trailblazer” who only accepted her Cabinet position on the condition that Roosevelt agree to “support her goals to improve working conditions for all people.”
Continued Haaland: “Today, we’re taking a step to ensure that children growing up across America know the name Frances Perkins and understand the impact she has had on our country.”
(Frances Perkins National Monument in Newcastle, Maine | Credit: Frances Perkins Center)
Where the Frances Perkins National Monument Is and How to Visit
The centerpiece of the new national monument is the Perkins family homestead, a 57-acre property along the Damariscotta River in southern Maine. Perkins’s family had roots in the area stretching back to the 18th century, according to USA Today, and Perkins regarded the site as a lifelong source of inspiration and rejuvenation, per the National Park Service.
The grounds encompass the 1837 Perkins family home, known as the Brick House, as well as a barn, garden paths, and wooded walking trails.
The nonprofit Frances Perkins Center purchased the site in 2020 from a Perkins descendant and donated 2.3 acres, including the buildings and trails, to the park service.
The Brick House is currently closed to visitors as it undergoes a restoration project. The building is expected to reopen in the summer of 2025.
In the meantime, the grounds and trails remain accessible. Last summer, a self-guided historical exhibit about the life of Perkins was set up in the barn.
(Frances Perkins National Monument in Newcastle, Maine | Credit: Frances Perkins Center)
Establishing the Frances Perkins National Monument is seen as part of an effort by Biden to shore up his legacy as an advocate for women’s and labor rights as he readies to leave office.
To the same end, Haaland also announced five new National Historic Landmarks—federal recognition for properties of historical, architectural, or archaeological significance—for places relating to women’s history: the Charleston Cigar Factory in Charleston, South Carolina; the Furies Collective and Lucy Diggs Slowe and Mary Burrill House, both in Washington, D.C.; Azurest South in Petersburg, Virginia; and the Peter Hurd and Henriette Wyeth House and Studios in San Patricio, New Mexico.
You can learn more about why those sites and other newly recognized landmarks are important in a separate announcement released by the National Park Service.
Since taking office, the Biden administration has created 10 National Park System units, including the Amache National Historic Site in Colorado, the Blackwell School National Historic Site in Texas, and the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument in Illinois and Mississippi.
For more information about the Frances Perkins National Monument in Maine, go to NPS.gov/FRPE.