The Martin's Blog

12/13/2025 Sat – 10a flight from Dayton to Dulles Airport in VA, continued to Boston and arrived at 2:30p. Rented car and drove to Scarborough-Portland ME. Dinner at the Nonesuch River Brewery. Spent the night at the Americas Best Value Inn.

12/14 Sun – Up early, cold/snowing, stopped for breakfast at the Holy Donut, near Bowdoin College, in Brunswick ME. Arrived at Frances Perkins NM in Newcastle ME at about 8am.

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The Frances Perkins Homestead was declared a National Historic Landmark in 2014. On December 16, 2024, President Biden declared the home and grounds a National Monument (NM), making it the 433^rd National Park Unit. This map came from the Francis Perkins Center – click to enlarge and read the Welcome and description.

Frances Perkins was the first woman to serve in a presidential cabinet. FDR selected her for his Secretary of Labor. She was a driving force behind the “New Deal” during the Great Depression and is considered the ”Architect of Social Security.” The Visitor Center was not open. It is open seasonally, June 17 to October 11 for 2026. Marching through the snow with my walking stick, I was able to complete the 1.5-mile loop trail.

Start of loop – south Trail to the right

South Trail to the shore of the Damariscotta River, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean.

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There are 2.8-miles of stone walls on the property.

18^th Century Building Foundations –

End of Trail – Back of House and Barn –

This was a whirlwind trip to complete my goal of visiting ALL 433 National Park Units by the end of 2025.

Stopped at LL Bean in Freeport ME – did not find any bargains!

I continued 2,5hrs to Boston, flight to Chicago, flight to Dayton, arrived home at 12:30am.