The Biden administration has reversed a decision by the National Park Service to remove a statue of William Penn from a park in Philadelphia. Penn was the founder of Pennsylvania (named after his father) in the late 17th century and is a respected figure in the state.
(The previous TGP report on the planned removal of the statue was posted by David Grayson at this link.)
The Park Service recently announced plans to renovate the park in which the statue is located, Welcome Park, to make it “inclusive” of Native Americans, even believing that the park was built on the spot where Ben's home once stood and was named after the ship Wellcome, which brought Ben to New World from England in 1682. The Park Service also planned to remove a replica of Penn's home, the Slate Roof House, as well as a timeline of Penn on a wall in the park. In other words, the Biden administration was erasing Ben.
National Park Service photos
The Interior Department, which oversees the National Park Service, is led by Biden-appointed Secretary Deb Haaland, a radical progressive and the first Native American to serve as Cabinet secretary.
To celebrate LGBT History Month, I'm joining outdoors advocates and climate movement icons @patigonia To discuss how you like the places @stonewallNPS Help tell the full and honest story of our country. pic.twitter.com/XSIGs1qz9z
– Secretary Deb Haaland (@SecDebHaaland) October 2, 2023
He credited Pennsylvania's Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro with the decision, saying: “My team has been in contact with the Biden administration all day to correct this decision. “I am thrilled that Wellcome Park will remain the rightful home of the William Penn statue – right here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania where Pennsylvania was founded.”
My team has been in contact with the Biden administration throughout the day to correct this decision. I am thrilled that Wellcome Park remains the rightful home of the William Penn statue – here in the Pennsylvania-founded Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. https://t.co/awSTpcyrNp
– Governor Josh Shapiro (@GovernorShapiro) January 8, 2024
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who recently said he is not a progressive, appears to have not issued a comment on the Biden administration's proposal to remove the William Penn statue.
Dave McCormick, the Republican candidate running against incumbent Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), called on Casey on Monday to remain “silent,” “Bob Casey has remained completely silent as the Biden admin works to strip our commonwealth of its history in the name of ‘totalitarianism.’” “Casey is too weak to lead. It's time for new leadership.”
Bob Casey has remained completely silent as the Biden admin works to strip the commonwealth of its history in the name of “inclusivity.”
Casey is too weak to drive. It's time for new leadership. https://t.co/bkgtV0HWtF
– Dave McCormick (@DaveMcCormickPA) January 8, 2024
“I've heard concerns that there are plans to permanently remove the William Penn statue from Welcome Park,” Casey spoke Monday evening after the Park Service had already given in. “After checking with the Department of the Interior, I'm happy to report that there are no plans to remove William Penn at this time.”
I have heard concerns that there are plans to permanently remove the William Penn statue from Welcome Park. After checking with the Home Office, I am happy to report that there are no plans to remove William Penn at this time.
– Senator Bob Casey (@SenBobCasey) January 8, 2024
New Park Service statement issued on Monday evening, January 8:
The review of the new proposed design for Welcome Park has been withdrawn. No changes are planned to the William Penn statue. For more information, please visit: https://t.co/XWk0zPbEvl. pic.twitter.com/Ly0aooxXcx
— Independence NPS 🇺🇸 (@INDEPENDENCENHP) January 8, 2024
Park withdraws review of Welcome Park rehabilitation proposal
Independence National Historical Park has withdrawn review of a draft proposal to rehabilitate Welcome Park and has closed the public comment period. The initial draft proposal, which was released prematurely and did not undergo a full internal agency review, is now being withdrawn. No changes are planned to the William Penn statue.
The National Park Service (NPS) remains committed to the rehabilitation of Welcome Park as the nation prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026. After completing all necessary internal reviews, the park looks forward to participating in a robust public process to consider options for renovating the park in the coming years. .
The park is located on the site of William Penn's home, the Slate Roof House, and is named after the ship Welcome, which transported Penn to Philadelphia. The design and construction of Welcome Park was funded by the Independence Historic Fund and was completed in 1982.
Project updates can be found on the park's website at www.nps.gov/INDE.
The original language of the Park Service's proposal released on January 5 was as follows:
Park is seeking input on the rehabilitation of Welcome Park
The National Park Service proposes to rehabilitate Welcome Park to provide a more welcoming, accurate and inclusive visitor experience. Welcome Park was designed by world-renowned design firm Venturi & Scott Brown Associates. The park is located on the site of William Penn's home, the Slate Roof House, and is named after the ship Welcome, which transported Penn to Philadelphia. The design and construction of Welcome Park was funded by the Independence Historic Fund and was completed in 1982.
The proposed rehabilitation of Welcome Park includes an expanded interpretation of Philadelphia's Native American history and was developed in consultation with representatives of the Haudenosaunee Native Nations, the Delaware Nation, the Delaware Tribe of Indians, the Shawnee Tribe, and the Eastern Shawnee Tribe. Oklahoma. The redesigned Welcome Garden maintains certain aspects of the original design such as the street grid, rivers and east wall, while adding a new planted buffer area on three sides, and a ceremonial gathering space with circular seating. The Penn statue and Slate Roof model of the house will be removed and will not be reinstalled. In a separate, future effort, new display panels will be installed on the south site wall to replace the Pennsylvania schedule.
The public is invited to provide comments on this proposed design for the 14-day rehabilitation of Welcome Park from January 8-21, 2024 through the National Park Service's Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) at https://parkplanning .nps.gov. Feedback submitted via social media, phone calls, email or mail will not be accepted. All public comments must be received through PEPC by midnight on Sunday, January 21, 2024.
For information about Independence National Historical Park, visit the park's website at www.nps.gov/INDE.
Background from a Pennsylvania Historical Society article by Carrie Hutto (excerpts):
William Penn and the first settlers of Pennsylvania sailed across the Atlantic Ocean on the ship “Hello.” The ship departed Wellcomedale, England, on August 31, 1682, and arrived at the mouth of the Delaware River (now New Castle, Delaware) on October 27, 1682, completing a crossing of the Atlantic in 57 days, a crossing that was slow by 17th-century standards. . The trip did not end without incident. Nearly a third of the ship's passengers died of smallpox. On October 28, 1682, the ship docked at Upland (now Chester, Pennsylvania) at the site chosen by Thomas Holm, Surveyor General of Pennsylvania.
King Charles II of England granted Penn ownership of the land in order to pay off a large debt to Penn's father, Admiral Sir William Penn. Penn the Younger had first named the region Sylvania (Latin for forest), which the king later changed to Pennsylvania in honor of Penn the Elder. One of Pennsylvania's first counties, Bucks County, was named after Buckinghamshire (Bucks) in England, the seat of the Penn family and the birthplace of many early settlers.
Excerpted from USHistory.org
William Penn (October 14, 1644 – July 30, 1718) founded the Province of Pennsylvania, the British colony in North America that became the US state of Pennsylvania. His democratic principles served as inspiration for the United States Constitution. Before his time, Penn also published a plan for a United States of Europe, the “European System, Parliament or Estate of Europe”.
…Ben was educated at Chigwell School, Essex, where he had his first religious experiences. Subsequently, Ben's religious views alienated him from English society, as he was expelled from Christ Church, Oxford, for being a Quaker, and was arrested several times. One of the most famous is the trial that followed his arrest with William Meade on charges of preaching to a Quaker congregation. Ben demanded the right to see a copy of the charges against him and the laws he supposedly violated, but the judge, the Mayor of London, refused – even though this right is guaranteed by law. Despite intense pressure from the mayor to convict the men, the jury returned a verdict of “not guilty.” After this, not only was Lord Mayor Penn sent to prison again (for contempt of court), but also to the full jury. The jury members, who fought their case from prison, were able to win the right for all English juries to be free from the control of judges. (See Jury Nullification.) The persecution of Quakers became so fierce that Penn decided it would be best to attempt to found a new, free Quaker settlement in North America. Some Quakers had already moved to North America, but the Puritans in New England, in particular, were as negative toward Quakers as people at home, and some were exiled to the Caribbean.
…Although Penn's authority over the colony was formally subject only to that of the king, within the framework of his government he implemented a democratic system with complete freedom of religion, fair trials, elected representatives of people in power, and separation of powers—again ideas that would shape Later the basis of the American Constitution. Pennsylvania's freedom of religion (complete freedom of religion for all who believe in God) brought not only English, Welsh, German, and Dutch Quakers to the colony, but also Huguenots (French Protestants), Mennonites, Amish, and Lutheran German Catholics. States.
Penn hoped that Penn State would be a profitable venture for him and his family. Penn marketed the colony throughout Europe in various languages, and as a result, settlers flocked to Pennsylvania. Despite Pennsylvania's rapid growth and diversification, the colony brought no profit for Penn or his family. In fact, Penn was later imprisoned in England for debt, and at the time of his death in 1718, he was penniless.
