Philadelphia Sues to Restore Slavery Exhibit at President's House Site

City officials say National Park Service removed panels documenting lives of enslaved people without notice, violating agreement.

Jan. 28, 2026 at 4:39pm

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The city of Philadelphia is heading to federal court in an effort to force the National Park Service to return interpretive panels removed from the President's House site on Independence Mall. The panels documented the lives of enslaved people held by President George Washington during the nation's first decade, when Philadelphia served as the U.S. capital. City officials say the removal was done without notice and in violation of a long-standing cooperative agreement between Philadelphia and the Park Service.

Why it matters

The President's House exhibit opened in 2010 after years of organizing by historians, artists, and advocates to include the stories of enslaved people who lived there during Washington's presidency. The removal of the panels is seen as an attempt to 'whitewash' history and erase the experiences of enslaved people from the public interpretation of the site.

The details

The National Park Service removed multiple panels from the President's House exhibit last Thursday. City officials say this was done without notice and in violation of an agreement that requires consultation before any changes are made to the site. The panels detailed the lives of nine enslaved people held by Washington at the President's House, including Oney Judge, who escaped to New Hampshire, and Hercules, a highly skilled chef who later fled enslavement.

  • The President's House served as the executive mansion for George Washington and John Adams from 1790 to 1800.
  • The President's House exhibit opened in 2010 after years of organizing by historians, artists, and advocates.
  • The National Park Service removed the panels from the exhibit last Thursday, January 23, 2026.

The players

Cherelle Parker

The mayor of Philadelphia who announced the city's lawsuit against the National Park Service.

Michael Coard

A local attorney and founder of the Avenging the Ancestors Coalition, which helped lead the original campaign for the President's House memorial.

Avenging the Ancestors Coalition

A coalition of historians, artists, and advocates that pushed for the creation of the President's House exhibit to include the stories of enslaved people who lived there during Washington's presidency.

National Park Service

The federal agency that removed the interpretive panels from the President's House exhibit without notice, according to city officials.

George Washington

The first U.S. president, who enslaved Black men, women, and children at the President's House in Philadelphia during his presidency.

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What they’re saying

“You cannot erase our history. Yes, it is flawed. Yes, it is imperfect, and yes, it includes the real life lived experiences and stories of people who endured a great deal of pain, so that America could realize its promise.”

— Cherelle Parker, Mayor of Philadelphia (Instagram)

“They used a gigantic crowbar and just ripped it off. So when you saw it then thrown into the back of the pickup truck, even if we could get it, it probably has to be replicated because I think the damage is already done.”

— Michael Coard, Attorney and founder of Avenging the Ancestors Coalition (Online meeting)

“We are going to raise hell in the streets and raise legal issues in the courtrooms. That's the same two-track concept that the civil rights activists had in the South in the 1940s and 50s. They didn't just rely on Thurgood Marshall going to court.”

— Michael Coard, Attorney and founder of Avenging the Ancestors Coalition (Online meeting)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Friday whether to grant the city's request for a preliminary injunction to stop any further changes to the President's House exhibit and require the National Park Service to restore the removed panels.

The takeaway

This dispute over the President's House exhibit is part of a broader struggle over how American history, including the history of slavery, is presented and interpreted on federal land. The city of Philadelphia and local advocates are fighting to ensure that the full, unvarnished story of the nation's founding, including the experiences of enslaved people, is not erased or whitewashed.