The National Park Service has reversed its decision to remove a famous statue of William Penn from Philadelphia’s Welcome Park.
According to The Associated Press, the National Park Service will not remove a statue of William Penn, who founded the then-colony of Pennsylvania in 1681 and played an important role in American politics, from Welcome Park after deliberation.
For those who may not know, Penn is the 17th-century English religious leader who founded both Philadelphia and Pennsylvania.
Previous Coverage: Biden Admin Looks To Remove ‘Penn’ From Pennsylvania
The Penn monument, which sits on the grounds of his 17th-century home, was going to be demolished as part of a “rehabilitation” plan for the park that honors his contribution to U.S. history.
Penn’s “rehabilitation” by the Biden administration would have dispatched him to the dustbin of history while retelling his story from the perspective of Native Americans.
“Independence National Historical Park has withdrawn the review of a draft proposal to rehabilitate Welcome Park and closed the public comment period,” the National Park Service said in a statement. “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.”
“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,” said the Independence National Historical Park in a news release.
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Democratic Philadelphia Gov. Josh Shapiro said Monday that his staff had been “in contact” with the Biden administration about the proposed statue removal.
“My team has been in contact with the Biden Administration throughout the day to correct this decision. I’m pleased Welcome Park will remain the rightful home of this William Penn statue – right here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Penn founded,” Shapiro tweeted.
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