UPDATE | Concern Growing Over Suppression Of History In National Parks

Editor's note: This updates with reaction from the National Parks Conservation Association.

National parks advocates are expressing increasing alarm over the Trump administration's moves to eliminate certain historical references from some park sites, saying the National Park System is no place for partisan politics.

Emily Thompson, executive director of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, called the reported removal of items potentially related to enslaved people from Harpers Ferry National Historical Park "a dangerous and unprecedented move."

"History is not meant to comfort; it is meant to teach," Thompson said in a statement released Tuesday. "The removal of historical information from national parks and monuments undermines the core mission of these public spaces: to educate, preserve, and provide an honest reflection of our nation's past — so that we can build a better future together."

President Donald Trump issued a directive in March ordering that materials that "disparage" Americans be removed from national parks and other federal institutions. That was followed in May by an order from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum asking the public to report such materials, or those that contain content that detracts from viewpoints of scenic grandeur.

The Washington Post reported Monday night that Interior staff removed more than two dozen unspecified items from Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in West Virginia, the site of a late 19th-century revolt by abolitionist John Brown. The items were reportedly tagged as being "out of compliance" with the March directive. The newspaper also reported that a late 19th-century photo known as the "Scourged Back" of a Black man with scars on his back from beatings was removed from another park.

“Whether it’s the legacy of Indigenous displacement, slavery, civil rights struggles, or environmental exploitation, these stories deserve to be told accurately and respectfully," Thompson said. "Their removal is in fact what disparages our collective history. National parks must remain places where all people can engage with the full, unfiltered story of America, acknowledging the reality of all of those who came before."

Also speaking out against the administration's actions was the National Parks Conservation Association, where Alan Spears, the park advocacy group's senior director for cultural resources, said "[G]reat countries don’t hide from their history. We learn from the past and confront it when necessary. The ‘Scourged Back’ photograph shocked the nation and the world with its honest depiction of the vicious nature of slavery. The decision to remove this photograph from the interpretive displays at national parks is as shameful as it is wrong.

“Expert historians at the National Park Service spend a great deal of time determining what goes on display at national parks, and what the public can learn from it. This photo and other images and information have been painstakingly selected and contextualized to help park visitors understand the role slavery has played in our history," Spears said in a release. 

"By contrast, the decision to remove them was rendered in a matter of weeks, with little regard for the complexity of American history or the importance of the Park Service’s hard work," he added. "Our national parks have the power to bring people together, to learn about our country’s trials and triumphs alike, and build a better world for future generations. The administration needs to stop meddling in American history at our national parks.”