The Trump regime has ordered the removal of exhibits related to slavery at several National Park Service (NPS) sites, including Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, which memorializes the famous 1859 raid against Virginia slaveholders led by John Brown, whose home was at that time located in the Adirondacks.
The mandate stems from a March 2025 executive order targeting content that promotes a “corrosive ideology” or “inappropriately disparages Americans.”
The March 2025 order directed the Department of the Interior to remove or cover up materials deemed to “disproportionately emphasize negative aspects of U.S. history.”
Staff at Harpers Ferry, where Brown was captured and hung for opposing slavery with force, flagged around 30 exhibits for potential removal or revision. These items reportedly included information about racial discrimination and hostility toward formerly enslaved people.
Exhibits at Harpers Ferry that discuss slavery include displays detailing John Brown’s Raid, which aimed to arm enslaved people, and stories of formerly enslaved people who sought education in the town.
An anonymous NPS employee confirmed to reporters that they had been ordered to remove or cover up the materials.
The executive order has been interpreted broadly by the administration, also leading to the removal of a famous 1863 photograph of an enslaved man’s scarred back, known as “The Scourged Back,” from at least one national park.
Advocacy groups like the National Parks Conservation Association and the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia have strongly condemned the action. They argue that censoring history prevents informed citizenship and that “great countries don’t hide from their history.”
They issued a press release demanding that the “History of Slavery Cannot Be Erased From Our Parks.”
The order has also created distress and frustration among park historians and interpreters who have worked to build more inclusive and accurate exhibits over decades.
The John Brown Farm in Lake Placid is a New York State operated historic site.
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Illustration: Detail original photo, “Scourged Back” by McPherson and Oliver, circa 1863.
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