African American History Exhibit At Harpers Ferry ‘Closed For Renovation’

Updated on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025 at 6:30 p.m.

Brown paper covers the windows of the “African-American History Exhibit” found in the historic district of the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. A sign says it’s closed for renovation. 

Park staff would not confirm the reason for the closed exhibit or the renovations. But an executive order entitled “Restoring Truth And Sanity To American History” was signed by President Donald Trump on March 27.

It said that over the past decade, “Americans have witnessed a concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history, replacing objective facts with a distorted narrative driven by ideology. This revisionist movement seeks to undermine the remarkable achievements of the United States by casting its founding principles and historical milestones in a negative light.” 

A similarly-worded May 20 order from the Secretary of the Interior – who oversees national parks among other sites – calls for assurance that “all public monuments, memorials, statues, markers, or similar properties within the Department’s jurisdiction do not contain descriptions, depictions, or other content that inappropriately disparage Americans past or living (including persons living in colonial times), and instead focus on the greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people.”

Not everyone approves of such changes. 

The ACLU of West Virginia condemned the order, calling it “government-mandated historical amnesia” and “an injustice to the people who suffered under the conditions of chattel slavery.” 

“By sanitizing the brutal realities of slavery, the administration denies visitors the complete historical context necessary for informed citizenship in a democracy,” ACLU-WV Executive Director Eli Baumwell said in a statement. “Until this week, visitors to Harpers Ferry had the chance to learn about slavery and the struggle to end that evil institution as part of our local and national history by visiting this historical site. Attempts to re-write hard-to-face parts of our history is the work of propagandists, not public servants.”

In contrast to the closed exhibit on African American history, just around the corner in the John Brown Museum, references to the brutalities of slavery can still be found. 

A large placard titled, “Am I Not A Woman? Am I Not A Man?” inside the museum details the history and moral dilemma of slavery leading up to John Brown’s raid and the start of the Civil War.

One placard reads, “while many believed slavery was morally wrong, law and social practices protected the South’s ‘peculiar institution.'”  

Immediately outside the John Brown Museum is a monument in honor of Heyward Shepherd erected by the Daughters of the Confederacy. Shepherd was a free Black man who was the first to die during John Brown’s raid. The monument paints a picture of the stereotype of the “faithful slave,” which is challenged by a placard right next to it featuring a quote from Pearl Tatten, who was the music director of Storer College in 1931.

It’s unclear whether the placards depicting slavery like the ones found in the John Brown Museum or the one outside pushing back against the “faithful slave” stereotype will be removed following the Trump administration’s orders. 

Alan Spears at the National Parks Conservation Association said the president’s order reverses decades of work to make such exhibits more accurate and inclusive.

“And now a lot of that is being done away with, because we’ve got some people who don’t have that same deep background and historic preservation simply deciding on spec that things shouldn’t be on display because they don’t want to make anybody feel uncomfortable,” said Spears. 

“Great countries don’t hide from their history. They learn from it, and when necessary, they confront it. And that’s how we come together. That’s how we see each other, right? And maybe that’s how we heal,” Spears said.

Another sign in Harpers Ferry asks visitors to report anything at the park that is negative about past or living Americans. 

The office of Congressman Riley Moore, who represents District 2 which includes Harpers Ferry, did not respond to a request for comment.