Frances Perkins Center designation adds a new draw to Damariscotta region [Video]

President Biden’s designation Monday of the Francis Perkins National Monument in Newcastle is expected to generate new interest among visitors to the Midcoast region who want to learn more about the first woman to become a Cabinet member.

As secretary of labor under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Perkins was instrumental in establishing Social Security, a minimum wage, a 40-hour work week and child labor laws as part of the New Deal package that pulled the nation out of the Great Depression. She held this role from 1933-1945.

Perkins came to rest and refuel at the 1750s family homestead on 57 acres along the Damariscotta River throughout her years as one of America’s foremost advocates for workers’ rights, economic security and social justice.

Those values are reflected in the Midcoast region’s business community, said Melissa Palmer-Karas, a member of the local chamber of commerce who is a buyer for the Renys department store chain, which is headquartered in town.

“We’re a …