Pres. Mattie Daughtry, Sen. Cameron Reny celebrate designation of Frances Perkins’ family homestead in Newcastle as National Monument

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Monday, Dec. 16, Senate President Mattie Daughtry, D-Brunswick, and Sen. Cameron Reny, D-Bristol, attended the ceremony where Pres. Joe Biden designated the Frances Perkins family homestead in Newcastle as the Frances Perkins National Monument. Frances Perkins was the first woman to serve in a presidential cabinet, serving as U.S. Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945. She was the driving force behind the New Deal policies that protected American workers and families from economic hardship.

“As the State Senator for District 13, which includes Newcastle, I am honored to represent the area that this American icon considered home,” said Sen. Reny. “I am proud to be serving the people of Maine, a state that has a long history of groundbreaking women in politics. Sharing Secretary Perkins’ commitment to safety and fairness for working people, my colleagues and I voted for Paid Family and Medical Leave, so working people won’t have to go broke if they need to care for children, family, and themselves. Maine is proud of the contributions that Frances Perkins has made to our country and the impact her work still has today.”

The 57-acre Perkins Homestead property, previously designated a National Historic Landmark in 2014, is one of the last nearly untouched saltwater farms along the Damariscotta River. It is here that Frances Perkins and her family, since 1750, spent generations building businesses and being part of the fabric of our communities. Perkins considered the Brick House on River Road in Newcastle home and was buried at Glidden Cemetery after her death in 1965.

The Frances Perkins Homestead National Historic Landmark’s 1837 Brick House, connected ell, and barn are currently operated and maintained by the Frances Perkins Center, a nonprofit organization that purchased the property in 2020. Earlier this year, the Board of Directors of the Center wished to donate the property to the National Park Service, and Pres. Daughtry and Sen. Reny supported their campaign.

“This is a proud moment for Maine,” said Pres. Daughtry. “Frances Perkins was an American who brought a commitment to improving the lives of workers to her public service. That commitment transformed our country for working people.”

“I have been a Board member of the Frances Perkins Center for many years and am excited to see this national recognition finally happening for this extraordinary woman who continues to have such an important impact on the lives of all Americans,” said Sen. Peggy Rotundo.

Historian and Lincoln County resident Heather Cox Richardson and Sen. Cameron Reny, D-Bristol, with a lifesize cutout of Frances Perkins at the designation ceremony in the U.S. Department of Labor’s Frances Perkins Building in Washington, D.C.

Pres. Mattie Daughtry, D-Brunswick, U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, and Sen. Cameron Reny, D-Bristol, at the designation ceremony in the U.S. Department of Labor’s Frances Perkins Building in Washington, D.C.

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