Timeline: NPS Sign Removals

A chronological view of what's been removed, flagged, and restored across America's national parks

874
Flagged Items
36
Confirmed Removed
13
Restored
5+
Legal Actions

Events

Mar 14, 2025
Legal
Executive Order 14253 Signed
"Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History" directs removal of interpretive materials deemed inappropriate.
May 20, 2025
Legal
Secretary's Order 3431 Implemented
Interior Secretary Burgum implements removal directive within NPS.
Jul 2025
Initiative
Save Our Signs Project Launched
UMN librarians begin crowdsourcing archive of NPS signs to preserve documentation.
Sep 2025
Removal
Glacier NP: Climate Descriptions Removed
Five climate signs and podcast episodes removed, including "Climate Change Affects National Parks," "Blame It on the Grain," and the Headwaters podcast. Brochures showing glaciers retreating and a video about glacier disappearance also pulled.
View details →
Sep 2025
Removal
Muir Woods NM: History Sticky Notes Removed
Annotations covering Indigenous history, women in conservation, and eugenics history removed from "Saving Muir Woods" display. A separate climate sign, "Are We Protecting Redwoods?", was also removed.
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Oct 2025
Removal
Grand Canyon NP: Settler Exploitation Text Excised
Passages about settlers exploiting land for mining while pushing tribes off removed from visitor center materials. References to cattle ranchers "carelessly overgrazing" and entrepreneurs profiting excessively also removed.
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Oct 2025
Archive
SOS Archive Goes Public
10,000+ photos of NPS signs released to public domain for preservation and research.
Nov 2025
Removal
Acadia NP: 10 Climate Signs Removed
Signs at Cadillac Mountain and Great Meadow, including "Is There Refuge From A Changing Climate?" removed from park displays.
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Nov 2025
Removal
Rock Creek Park: "What's in a Name?" Sign Removed
Sign at Senator Newlands Memorial addressing the white supremacist legacy of the senator who created the park was removed during the government shutdown.
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Jan 22, 2026
Removal
President's House: 30 Panels Removed Overnight
All interpretive panels about slavery and America's founding removed from Independence NHP in Philadelphia.
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Jan 27, 2026
Removal
Fort Sumter: Climate Exhibit Removed
"Climate Change" exhibit at pier and "Bottle Filling Station" climate sign removed from this historic site.
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Jan 27, 2026
Removal
Grand Teton NP: Doane Massacre Exhibit Removed
Sign at Craig Thomas Discovery Center asking "How do we acknowledge the good and bad of a historic figure?" — about explorer Gustavus Doane's role in the Piegan Blackfeet massacre — confirmed removed.
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Jan 27, 2026
Removal
Gateway NRA: Jamaica Bay Exhibition Stripped
Display at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge removed for referencing slavery, Japanese internment camps, and conflicts with Native Americans.
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Feb 4, 2026
Removal
Virgin Islands NP: Annaberg Plantation Signs Removed
Four slavery-related signs at Annaberg Plantation removed, including the story of Carl Francis and the 1733 Akwamu slave rebellion. Signs had been installed in 2023 after extensive community engagement.
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Feb 19, 2026
Restoration
13 Panels Restored at President's House
Partial restoration per court order; 17 panels remain missing pending further legal action.
View details →
Mar 2, 2026
Data Release
Internal NPS Dataset Leaked
Whistleblower publishes full list of 874+ flagged items. Washington Post first to report the story.
Mar 2, 2026
Launch
MissingParkHistory.org Launches
Interactive map tracking all flagged exhibits goes live, providing public access to removal and restoration data.

Sources & References