National Park Service installs new President's House exhibit amid legal dispute
The National Park Service replaced the slavery-focused panels at the President's House site in Philadelphia with a broader historical display, prompting continued legal challenges from the city and activist groups.
Federal workers removed the remaining panels of the President's House exhibit on Independence Mall on Tuesday night, installing a new display that expands coverage of the early presidency while retaining references to the nine enslaved people held by George Washington in Philadelphia. The change follows a federal appeals court ruling that the city of Philadelphia lacks authority to dictate interpretive content at the federally owned site, a decision the city and advocacy groups say violates community trust.
Mayor Cherelle Parker described the overnight installation as “under the cover of darkness” and pledged to seek a rehearing of the court’s June 2026 decision. Civil-rights attorney Michael Coard called the action “outrageous” and likened the revised narrative to downplaying other historical atrocities.
The new panels shift language formerly titled “The Dirty Business of Slavery” to a more general “Celebrating Independence Throughout the Years.” One panel notes Washington’s 1774 involvement in the Fairfax Resolves, which condemned the slave trade, and states that he later supported “gradual abolition.” The exhibit also mentions Washington’s signing of the Fugitive Slave Act, which both upheld and limited slavery.
The Department of the Interior defended the revision, saying the agency acknowledges “the evils of slavery” and that the new panels provide broader historical context for the President’s House and Independence National Historical Park.
Philadelphia officials and the Avenging the Ancestors Coalition, which helped develop the original exhibit, said they will continue legal action to restore the earlier panels. Activists plan to keep the original story alive through public readings and guided tours, asserting that the nine enslaved individuals will not be erased from public memory.
The dispute traces back to an executive order signed by President Donald Trump directing agencies to remove exhibits deemed to “disparage” American history. After a district court ordered the exhibit’s restoration, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that ruling, allowing the current changes to proceed.