Frances Perkins homestead worthy of national monument status

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A second national monument in Maine is reported to be under consideration by the Biden administration. The Frances Perkins Center , the Newcastle home of the nation’s first female cabinet secretary, could earn the federal status soon, the Washington Post reported last week.

The Biden administration is seeking to increase the number of cultural and historic properties managed by the National Park Service that honor and recognize women.

Frances Perkins certainly deserves that recognition. She was secretary of labor under President Franklin Roosevelt and is credited with reshaping the nation’s labor laws, which included banning child labor, creating Social Security, unemployment insurance and a minimum wage, and instituting a 40-hour workweek.

“The history of Maine runs through the lives of the men and women who have helped to shape our country and our national character. Frances Perkins sits firmly among a long list of leaders who have had a lasting, positive impact on our country,” Gov. Janet Mills said in a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to make the monument designation.

In late August 2016, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, then-President Barack Obama designated the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument near Baxter State Park. It was Maine’s first national monument, on more than 87,000 acres of land donated to the federal government by Roxanne Quimby and her family foundation.

The Perkins home and farm on the Damariscotta River was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 2014. It is managed by a nonprofit group.

“Maine is the cradle for amazing women leaders,” Mills added in her letter. “By using your authority under the Antiquities Act of 1906 to establish the Frances Perkins National Historic Landmark as a national monument you can help to ensure that the legacy of Frances Perkins and her numerous accomplishments are recognized and celebrated.”

Under the 1906 law, the president is empowered to designate properties already owned by the federal government as national monuments. If the designation is forthcoming, the nonprofit that currently runs the Perkins Homestead would transfer the property to the federal government.

A national monument designation would increase the financial support for the Perkins homestead as well as hiring full-time personnel for the site. Following the announcement last week that the Perkins Center was seeking the monument designation , the number of visitors has already increased dramatically.

“This designation will not only help to recognize the legacy of Frances Perkins, but also be a shining example to young women across this country that they deserve a seat at the table, that they have the skills and intelligence to lead our nation, and that they can make a powerful and positive impact on the lives of those around them,” former U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe said in support of the monument designation request. “Frances Perkins is worthy of this national monument for the work that she championed, the glass ceilings that she broke, and the role model she can be as more people learn about her incredible legacy.”

We hope that when Interior Secretary Deb Haaland visits the homestead and meets with community members in Newcastle on Thursday, she sees why this Maine landmark — and the life and legacy of Frances Perkins — are worthy of this federal recognition.