Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden announced that the Frances Perkins Center has received $500,000 through the National Park Service’s Save America’s Treasures Grant Program.  This grant funding will allow the Center to preserve and improve the condition of the principal structures at the site of the Frances Perkins Homestead National Historic Landmark in Newcastle.

“The Frances Perkins Homestead is a fitting tribute to Frances Perkins, the first woman to serve in a presidential cabinet,” said the Maine Delegation in a joint statement.  “An influential figure during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency and a driving force behind the creation of the New Deal, Social Security, anti-child labor laws, and more, Perkins left a lasting mark on American history.  This important funding will enable the Frances Perkins Center to preserve her home, allowing it to serve as an educational site year-round and helping to share her life and legacy with visitors from across the nation.” 

The Frances Perkins Center is a nonprofit organization committed to honoring Frances Perkins, the U.S. Secretary of Labor from 1933-1945.  The Center is in the process of acquiring her ancestral homestead and transitioning the property to a year-round educational and community resource for Maine and the nation.  This investment will enable the Center to preserve and renovate the Brick House, barn, and all buildings on the property so that they can be used to house exhibition, tour, and study facilities.  Planned investments include the addition of restrooms, a multi-purpose program space, offices, archival storage, and a redesign of parking and visitor access.

The Maine Delegation wrote a letter to the National Park Service in support of the grant application submitted by the Frances Perkins Center.