The inaugural curator at the Frances Perkins Center in Newcastle will expand educational programming around the life and legacy of the center’s namesake, a Depression-era labor activist and political trailblazer best known as the architect of Social Security, unemployment insurance, the minimum wage and other worker protections, and the first woman to serve in a presidential cabinet.
Kate Webber brings 15 years of experience working with cultural organizations across Maine, including the Maine State Museum, Maine Museum of Innovation, Learning and Labor and the Maine Humanities Council. She also served as a historical preservation fellow with the Island Institute on Swan’s Island.
“Even though Frances Perkins is a larger-than-life figure who achieved national policies that still shape our lives today, there are so many pieces of her personal story that everyone can relate to,” said Webber.
Interpretive exhibits
Perkins was the U.S. labor secretary under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. She died in 1965 at age 85. The Perkins family’s 57-acre homestead in Newcastle was designated a national monument on Dec. 16, 2024. The Frances Perkins National Monument is the country’s 433rd national park site, to be managed by the National Park Service.
The Frances Perkins Center is the official philanthropic partner of the monument. The acreage includes the historic homestead and a 1.3-mile loop trail.
Webber will lead the center’s education and interpretation team, oversee the management of cultural resources and guide the development of interpretive exhibits and materials. The monument’s upcoming season runs from June 17 through Oct. 11.
“Frances Perkins’ work continues to shape our lives today, and it’s essential that we tell her story in ways that resonate with modern audiences,” said Amanda Hatch, the center’s executive director.
Perkins was inducted into the Maine Women’s Hall of Fame in March.
