PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Earlier this year, the Trump administration demanded that national parks and federally funded museums remove exhibits depicting the darker parts of U.S. history, including slavery. One of those exhibits on the chopping block is the President’s House at Sixth and Market streets.
The site was home to Presidents George Washington and John Adams, serving as the country’s first executive mansion. The free outdoor exhibit features panels that explain slavery during Washington’s presidency.
The Trump administration said these museums must comply by Sept. 17. Angela Val, Visit Philadelphia president and CEO, said her team is not standing down.
“We are right now preparing that the panels would probably be removed or edited, so we’re basically creating a backup plan,” she said. “It’s our place to make sure the visitor experience is one that is authentic.”
While the contents and intellectual property of the President’s House belong to the federal government, Val said their goal is to “figure out how to still tell that story and move it to a private building that has public access.”
“We would really like it to be in a space that has free access in the historic area because that’s where everyone is going to get that history,” she added.
Val stressed that presenting well-rounded and accurate history matters.
“Look, history doesn’t always make us comfortable. It wasn’t perfect, but it’s still true and it’s still history, we should be able to learn about that,” she said. “We see Black history as American history, and Philadelphia is the birthplace of America. Especially going into 2026, this should be the place that you should see, hear and learn about that story. That’s why we’re doing this.”
Visit Philadelphia is currently looking for a new space that will offer free access to the exhibits.