Hey, we’re up and blogging! This is the official blog of the newly formed nonprofit Frances Perkins Center. In the coming months, we’ll tell you all about Frances Perkins, who was an amazingly accomplished woman — FDR’s Secretary of Labor for 12 years, the first woman cabinet secretary, principal author of the New Deal, and dedicated advocate for social justice. And we’ll keep you informed about the progress of the Center — upcoming events, programs, and other news.
Located on the banks of the Damariscotta River in Newcastle, Maine, the Frances Perkins Center was the homestead of many generations of the Perkins family. The Brick House, as it is known, and surrounding countryside were a source of solace, renewal, and inspiration to Frances. It’s a fitting place to commemorate her legacy and to nurture the philosophy and policies embodied in that legacy. (You can see lots of photos here: http://FrancesPerkinsCenter.org.)
The Frances Perkins Center serves two functions. First, as a center for the study of her accomplishments and the policies that she implemented: scholars and students from Maine, the U.S., and around the world will visit to immerse themselves in Frances Perkins’s papers (both primary sources and collected facsimiles).
Second, the Center nurtures progressive leadership to carry her legacy into the future by sponsoring retreats, symposia, and conferences—both here at the Brick House and in other locations—bringing together elected officials, labor leaders, historians, policy makers, students of all ages, and others interested in honoring and building upon Frances Perkins’s commitment to working people around the world. And we share the writings and lectures of these visitors through publications such as The Perkins Report.
The Best Possible Life 