To the Editor:
We are three retired schoolteachers from San Francisco, Cal., who visited your lovely town in October. A few months ago our book group read, “The Woman Behind the New Deal,” about the life and legacy of Frances Perkins.
Our original vacation plans were to fly to New York and then travel to Vermont to see the fall foliage. We decided to add a detour to Damariscotta to our itinerary to see Ms. Perkins’ final resting place and also her grandparents’ residence, which she considered her home and where she spent her childhood summers.
What we did not anticipate were the magically carved pumpkins of your Pumpkinfest, your handsome Main Street, the delicious restaurant fare and the friendly, helpful people.
With their help and a lot of looking we were able to locate both Ms. Perkins modest gravesite and the Perkins’ home place along River Road.
Our only disappointment is that we saw no statue or plaque celebrating Frances Perkins as the first woman U.S. Cabinet member and mother of Social Security, Unemployment Insurance and the Minimum Wage.
Let us know if the town erects something to honor this wonderful American hero: we promise to return.
Adrienne Sciutto,
Irene Creps,
Jane Califf
San Francisco, Cal.
