Dr. G

Removed But Never Erased – a quilt about the panels at the President’s House in Philadelphia

This quilt is one of a series of quilts I generated following Election Day 2024. There were so many changes to laws, funding, access – especially related to my discipline and my research – that I used my sewing machine for Processing the Policies. Explore the collection.

The Background

The President’s House Site is part of Independence National Historic Park in Philadelphia. This location marks where President’s Washington and Adams lived when Philadelphia was the capitol of the United States. Although the house itself was demolished in 1832, the foundations of the home are still visible and serves as the basis of this outdoor park. A full open-air exhibit that one can walk through and read self-guided signage on history and slavery opened in December 2010.

Fast-forward to January 22, 2026, when employees of the National Park Service started removing the signage for this outdoor display on “The President’s House: Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation”. The reaction was immediate and coverage appeared in print (for example this article published by Billy Penn at WHYY) and on television, such as this broadcast by NBC 10 Philadelphia.

I had visited this site in the past and certainly walked by it during several trips to the historic district. But something struck me about the removal of the signs, and an attempted removal of history. I had to see for myself, so on January 31, I went to explore the site. I was struck by the harshness of the metal frames and swirls of glue that once secured stories of our nation. Seeing roses left on the exhibit in front of television monitors that were turned off filled me with sadness. After spending some time walking around, looking for any information still posted about the President’s House, I knew I wanted to make a quilt about this.

Then, on February 16, a federal judge ordered that the signage must be restored (WHYY article). Again, there was much coverage with this decision and the signs going back up, such as this 6 ABC Philadelphia story.

Although the signs were returned, I knew this was a story I wanted to capture in a quilt. I have other quilts in my Processing the Policies collection that address erasing or deleting items, and the story of removing these signs (which, by the way is not just happening at this National Park but at parks across the country) is important so that we always remember that this happened. Just as important to remember is the power and impact of the voices and efforts to get the signs successfully restored.

The Quilt

These events were taking place early in my spring semester, and I wanted to take some time to plan and sketch what this quilt would look like. In March, I was at a conference in Portland, Oregon, and found myself visiting a quilt shop for the first time, Pioneer Quilts (every quilter likes to check out quilt shops when we travel!). I started scouting out some fabrics that I thought might work for the quilt, and the very helpful staff asked me what I was making. I started describing what this quilt would be and the story behind the signage removal at the President’s House, and that conversation in the quilt shop really advanced my thinking and planning with this quilt! I was encouraged to create the brick wall, instead of using a fabric with a brick pattern, and to focus on the Moda grunge collection for the panel fabrics.

I finally started constructing the quilt in May, once my semester started wrapping up. First, I tackled the brick wall. Then, it was the gray frame with some grunge fabrics to represent the smear and coloration from the adhesives. I used chunky yarn for the waves of glue, and fabric velcro to represent the black tape on the display. I then stitched the two quilts together, and this is the result!

I used a fabric found with 4th of July fabrics in a local quilt shop for the small quilt backing (thank you, Homesewn!). For the brick wall backing, the Philly fabric seemed appropriate for the spirit of people in the city/region that fought for the signage.

Again, the signage has been restored – for now. I’m hoping this quilt will serve as a reminder of the “ugliness” of what remains when our history is torn down and hidden away – and the spirit and fight that is ignited when there is an attempt to erase history. Signs can be removed, but history can never be erased.

This quilt was completed May 18, 2026, and measures 34 inches tall by 40 inches wide.

Additional information

There are more media stories around the President’s House signage and additional history around the site and former residents. Check out these stories to keep updated.

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