National Park Service Cancels Plan to Remove Philadelphia’s William Penn Statue
Published on January 9, 2024
The National Park Service (NPS) has withdrawn its plan to remove a statue of William Penn, Pennsylvania’s founder, from Welcome Park in Philadelphia following bipartisan opposition.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....