Homestead Campaign
Frances Perkins Homestead Campaign
Seeking the Public Good
Seeking the Public Good honors the life and legacy of Frances Perkins, a remarkable woman whose work continues to improve the lives of ordinary Americans. Our ongoing fundraising supports the expansion of educational programs and the operation of her historic family Homestead – the place that inspired her pioneering achievements for the betterment of all Americans.
Honorary campaign co-chairs, former US Senator George Mitchell and Lynn Pasquerella, President of the Association of American Colleges and Universities and former President of Mount Holyoke College, join us in asking you to help us create a national educational center and historic site at the Frances Perkins Homestead in Newcastle, Maine. Your campaign support will preserve and promote the values championed by Frances Perkins, ensuring that her legacy will not be lost to future generations.
The Frances Perkins Center inspires people to address current challenges as Perkins would through our work in the areas of education, outreach, and historic preservation.
Our nonprofit, nonpartisan Center displays an Exhibit on the Life and Legacy of Frances Perkins at 170A Main Street in downtown Damariscotta, the town adjacent to Newcastle. Off-site programs include senior college courses, public policy forums, school programs, and our Traveling Exhibit.
Our signature offerings – interpreted tours of the Perkins Homestead with participatory discussions made possible by donations to this Homestead Campaign, will be offered by appointment at the Frances Perkins Homestead, 478 River Road in Newcastle, starting on June 15, 2023.
A National Historic Landmark
As a National Historic Landmark, the Frances Perkins Homestead is among our nation’s most significant places. Settled by the Perkins family in the mid-eighteenth century, it is a saltwater farm on the tidal Damariscotta River. Its 1837 Brick House and connected barns sit on 57 acres within a protected landscape of fields and forest bounded by 2.8 miles of picturesque stone walls. The buildings, cultural landscape, and collections offer excellent opportunities to interpret the legacy of Frances Perkins as well as the economic and social history of Maine that shaped her commitment to social welfare.
Vision
Since 2010, the Center has envisioned the preservation of the Frances Perkins Homestead and major program expansion to reach wider audiences. Vision achievement will include school field trips, on-site educational forums, publications, expanded internships, opportunities for scholars, and the ability to host gatherings of labor professionals, policy makers, and others working in fields related to the career of Frances Perkins, sharing the results and lessons of her work through programs of learning and civil discourse that address 21st century economic and social issues.
Gift Consideration
Gifts of all sizes help us achieve our goals. We accept one-time gifts, multi-year commitments, donor-advised gifts, and gifts of securities.
For more information, please contact:
Laura Chaney
Development Director
(207) 563-3374