Frances Perkins National Monument: History and Hiking
Frances Perkins National Monument is less than 10 miles from where we are staying, so we planned a trip out to see it. This site has been a historical site for a couple decades, but has only been a national monument under the park system since December 2024.
In 2025, the main home was closed to visitors to take stock of the belongings and prepare for it being a national monument. Only the visitors center and barn were open on the day of our visit. There are a couple miles of walking trails within the park as well.
Who is Frances Perkins , you may ask? Ms. Perkins served as the first female presidential cabinet member when Franklin D Roosevelt appointed her Secretary of Labor in 1933. Up until this point, she had been a major player in promoting labor laws, including eliminating child labor, and supporting programs which benefit workers in New York, even serving as and Industrial Commissioner in New York under Roosevelt when he served as Governor. During her time as Secretary of Labor, she was instrumental in many of the programs under The New Deal , including unemployment insurance, pensions, Social Security, and even minimum wage. She also held this position for 12 years - longer than any other secretary of labor and the 4th longest of any cabinet secretary in history! To say she made an immeasurable mark on history would be an understatement!
While it was a short trip, we enjoyed the time at her family plantation learning about Frances Perkins life and career.
