National Park Service Cancels Plan to Remove Philadelphia’s William Penn Statue

This undated image shows a statue of William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania, located in "Welcome Park" on 2nd Street between Chestnut and Walnut Streets in Philadelphia. U.S. National Park Service/Public Domain

The National Park Service (NPS) has withdrawn its plan to remove a statue of William Penn, Pennsylvania’s founder, from Welcome Park in Philadelphia following bipartisan opposition.

Welcome Park is part of Independence National Historical Park, located in the heart of Philadelphia.

The NPS site includes the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776 and the U.S. Constitution was drafted in the same room in 1787.

Welcome Park, built in 1982 at the former site of William Penn’s Slate Roof House, is a brick courtyard featuring a small replica of Penn’s home on a pedestal and a statue of Penn himself.

NPS announced Jan. 5, that it intends to “rehabilitate” Welcome Park, to provide a more “welcoming, accurate, and inclusive experience for visitors.”

The statue and replica home would be permanently removed, and a “reimagined Welcome Park” would include an expanded interpretation of the Native American history of Philadelphia.

NPS had planned to accept public comment about the project for two weeks, starting Jan. 8.

Unified Rejection of Plan

Although NPS is a federal agency, state lawmakers responded to the announcement with swift opposition. Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro said on social media that his office had been in contact with President Joe Biden’s administration throughout the day to correct the decision.

State House Republican Rep. Craig Staats and House Minority Leader Bryan Cutler announced they would co-sponsor a resolution condemning the statue’s removal.

“This is another outrageous example of the ‘woke’ movement’s determination to erase our history,” Staats said in a statement. “They are now targeting the man whose legacy includes a commitment to peace and coexistence.”

Pennsylvania state senator and historian Doug Mastriano said in a statement that Mr. Penn contributed ideas that were woven into the U.S. Constitution. He highlighted Penn as an early proponent of using amendments to allow a governing document to adapt over time to changing dynamics.

“Since his death in 1718, Penn has rightfully been immortalized in places such as Philadelphia’s City Hall and the state Capitol building in Harrisburg,” Mastriano said. “But according to NPS, William Penn is now canceled.”

State Sen. Scott Martin, a Republican, called the move “absolutely disgraceful” in a social media post. “As the United States and our Commonwealth are planning the coming celebration of America 250, for anyone to think doing this to the founder of Pennsylvania and the City of Philadelphia, which was the epicenter of freedom and our nation’s founding, was a good idea, is completely absurd.”

Information ‘Released Prematurely’

NPS released a statement on Jan.8 announcing it had withdrawn the proposal to rehabilitate Welcome Park.

“The preliminary draft proposal, which was released prematurely and had not been subject to a complete internal agency review, is being retracted. No changes to the William Penn statue are planned,” NPS said, adding that it still intends to rehabilitate Welcome Park as the nation prepares to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026.

“Upon completion of all the necessary internal reviews, the park looks forward to engaging in a robust public process to consider options for refurbishing the park in the coming years.”