February 10, 2026
Michaela Althouse/PhillyVoice
Philadelphia's suburban counties filed a court briefing in support of the city's lawsuit that claims the federal government illegally removed an exhibit on the slaves George Washington kept in Philly while president in the 1790s.
Philadelphia's collar counties are supporting the city in its legal effort to restore the Presidents House exhibit at Independence National Historical Park.
Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties filed a joint briefing Monday that calls for display panels that were removed from the exhibit by the federal government on Jan. 22 to be put back up. The panels tell the stories of nine people who were illegally enslaved by George Washington while he lived in Philadelphia as president.
Though the exhibit is located in Old City at Sixth and Market streets, the suburban counties pointed to their close proximity and shared history with Philadelphia as justification for their input. In a statement, they said maintaining honest and inclusive representation of history, particularly during the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, is crucial.
"Our history is imperfect, but it is ours, and the federal government can't rewrite it or ignore it the moment they find it inconvenient," Delaware County Council Chair Richard Womack said.
Like Philly, the four collar counties' governments are controlled by Democrats.
In the 1790s, the Presidents House site served as the executive mansion for Washington and John Adams, because Philadelphia was the nation's capital. The exhibit includes panels and videos describing what it was like to be an enslaved person working at the residence. There also is a monument inscribed with the names of the nine slaves that lived there during Washington's presidency.
Pennsylvania began a gradual abolition of slavery in 1780, but the law permitted non-residents to hold slaves in the state for six months at a time. Washington skirted the law by rotating the slaves he kept in Philadelphia.
The exhibit came under federal scrutiny in May when Interior Secretary Doug Burgum ordered a review of National Park Service displays that "disparage Americans past or living." Following initial backlash, the exhibit appeared safe for months before it was taken down without notice.
The display panels are being stored by the National Park Service at a facility near the National Constitution Center. The day after the panels were removed, the city filed a lawsuit ordering NPS to return the exhibit, claiming the federal government could not remove or change it without the approval of Philadelphia officials, because its creation was a collaborative effort.
At the first hearing on the lawsuit, city attorneys referenced several agreements, including the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Act, the agreement and subsequent amendments to create the Presidents House exhibit, and the 1948 agreement that established the 54 acres of Independence National Historical Park, which includes the land underneath the President's House. Per those documents, the city said, changes must be agreed upon jointly.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory in den Berken, who represented the federal government, argued that ownership was transferred to NPS following completion of the project. He also said the 2006 agreement to create the exhibit, which says the city must approve changes, had expired.
Following the hearing, a judge ruled that no more changes could be made to the exhibit and viewed the panels to make sure they were still intact. The judge has not made a ruling in the case.
