A series of informational signs about slavery was removed Thursday from the President’s House in Old City Philadelphia, a historic site operated by the National Park Service.
Before the President’s House exhibit site at 6th and Market streets — once the home of Presidents George Washington and John Adams — opened in 2010, local activists urged the creators to include information about the enslaved people who lived at the home. Those stories made it into the final exhibit.
The city filed a lawsuit in federal court Thursday seeking to have the signs put back. The suit says the city has prior agreements with NPS that require any disputes to be resolved “in an informal fashion through communication and consultation…or other forms of non-binding alternative dispute resolution that are mutually acceptable to the parties.”
In this case, NPS and the Interior Department “did not engage with the city and do not have the city’s approval to make unilateral changes to the President’s House exhibit,” the lawsuit says.
Mayor Cherelle Parker said the city’s agreement with the federal government dates back to 2006 and “requires parties to meet and confer if there are to be any changes made to an exhibit.”
“Our city solicitor Renee Garcia is working in conjunction with the amazing members of our law department team in working on following up on that cooperative agreement and we will keep you posted as to the result to all of our action,” Parker said.
Paul Steinke, executive director of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, told CBS Philadelphia that workers from the park service removed the signage.
“The decision to do this appears to be made because the President’s House Site memorialized the nine enslaved individuals that were held there against their will by President Washington and his wife Martha, and this is the only federal historic site that commemorates the history of slavery in America,” Steinke said.
A spokesperson with the Interior Department said in a statement Friday that the displays were removed as the department implements President Trump’s executive order “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.”
“All federal agencies are to review interpretive materials to ensure accuracy, honesty, and alignment with shared national values. Following completion of the required review, the National Park Service is now taking appropriate action in accordance with the Order,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “We encourage the City of Philadelphia to focus on getting their jobless rates down and ending their reckless cashless bail policy instead of filing frivolous lawsuits in the hopes of demeaning our brave Founding Fathers who set the brilliant road map for the greatest country in the world – the United States of America.”
In September, Mr. Trump signed an executive order aimed at removing “ideological indoctrination or divisive narratives.” The order specifically mentioned Philadelphia’s Independence National Historic Park, home of the Liberty Bell and the President’s House, as well as the Smithsonian Institution’s museums in Washington, D.C.
At the time, dozens of Philadelphia organizations signed a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum opposing the changes.
CBS News Philadelphia
Burgum was given a deadline of July 4, 2026, to complete any changes to Independence National Historical Park — a day when the site will take center stage as the country celebrates its 250th anniversary.
The executive order directed Burgum to ensure memorials “do not contain descriptions, depictions, or other content that inappropriately disparage Americans past or living (including persons living in colonial times), and instead focus on the greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people.”
After the president signed the order, Philadelphia City Council passed two resolutions condemning it.
Philadelphia leaders react to removal of exhibits from President’s House
Steinke said the exhibit “was created after years of scholarship and research to make sure we got the story right.”
“Today in a matter of minutes it was all ripped down, and presumably put away in storage for who knows how long. It’s a terrible day for American history, it’s a terrible day for Independence National Historical Park. It’s a terrible day for our city,” he said.
Steinke said he believes the stories will reemerge in other places in Philadelphia in the days and weeks to come.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said on social media that, “Donald Trump will take any opportunity to rewrite and whitewash our history. But he picked the wrong city — and he sure as hell picked the wrong Commonwealth. We learn from our history in Pennsylvania, even when it’s painful.”
Democratic Rep. Brendan Boyle, who represents Philadelphia, said in a statement that the signs’ removal was “absolutely unacceptable.”
“Philadelphia and the entire country deserve an honest accounting of our history, and this effort to hide it is wrong,” the statement read.
In a statement released Friday, Democratic Rep. Dwight Evans of Philadelphia called the Trump administration’s decision to remove signs at the President’s House an “outrage.”
“Their shameful desecration of this exhibit raises broader, disturbing questions about this administration’s continued abuse of power and commitment to whitewashing history,” Evans’ statement read. “True patriotism requires facing our nation’s past — and learning from it. The Trump-Vance administration may try to whitewash an exhibit, but they cannot erase the shame of what they have done. I support the city of Philadelphia’s lawsuit to restore this truthful, accurate, and important exhibit.”
Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson said in a statement the removal of the slavery displays is an “effort to whitewash American history.”
“History cannot be erased simply because it is uncomfortable,” Johnson said in a statement in part. “Removing items from the President’s House merely changes the landscape, not the historical record.”
As of Thursday evening, the official park service website for the President’s House said, “The outdoor exhibits examine the paradox between slavery and freedom in the new nation.” It also notes that the exhibit includes the perspectives of “enslaved individuals.”
“Although the house was demolished in 1832, some of it’s stories are preserved through videos shared from the perspective of enslaved individuals who lived and worked here, and text panels shed light on everything from visiting tribal delegations to the work of the executive branch,” the website states.
