The property has been owned by the Perkins family for more than 250 years . When Frances Perkins was a child , she often spent summers with her grandmother on the property , and was her home in the later years of her life . She and members of her immediate family are buried in the family cemetery , which is on the property . Perkins , born in 1880 , was educated at Mount Holyoke College , and was working as a social worker in New York City when the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire occurred in 1911 . Perkins ' profile was raised by her leadership in advocating for changes to fire codes in the aftermath of the blaze , which killed 146 workers . Perkins was appointed Secretary of Labor by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1932 , a time when the country was suffering great unemployment in the Great Depression . Perkins was responsible for seeing through legislative enactment of significant labor reforms , including the 40-hour work week , bans on child labor , and unemployment and worker compensation programs
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire
Perkins Homestead