When will the Caesar Rodney statue be on view in Washington, DC? (original) (raw)

March 19, 2026, 10:17 a.m. ET

You can't head downtown and see the Caesar Rodney statue in the Wilmington square that still bears his name.

But soon, you'll be able to travel to our nation's capital and see the statue there.

The statue of Rodney, a plantation owner who signed the Declaration of Independence and was a slave owner, was formerly displayed in downtown Wilmington's Rodney Square. It will be on view in Washington, DC, for up to six months.

The Founding Father is known for his trek from Dover to Philadelphia in 1776 to cast Delaware's deciding vote to declare independence from Great Britain.

Rodney's statue stood on its pedestal on Market Street between 10th and 11th streets for nearly 100 years, until it was removed amid the racial reckoning of 2020.

According to a Reuters report, The National Park Service will install the bronze statue of Rodney on horseback ​in Washington, DC, temporarily, the Interior Department said. It will be displayed among others honoring the country's founders as a part of the 250-year celebration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

As first reported by The Washington Post, the statue of Rodney will be on view for about six ​months in the federal park Freedom Plaza, in downtown Washington, part of the Trump administration's America 250 commemoration.

The National Park Service reached out to the city, according to Mayor John Carney's deputy chief of staff, Daniel Walker. The White House never contacted the city about the statue.

The statue was taken down in 2020, along with the city's Christopher Columbus statue, during a nationwide reckoning on race and history during that summer's civil rights movements. Then-Mayor Mike Purzycki promised a dialogue about the statue when he announced its removal, but it never substantially came.

Rodney's statue, which had been on view in Wilmington for 97 years, was removed because of his history of being a slaveowner. He enslaved over 200 people at his family plantation, Byfield, in the Dover area. In 1769, Rodney tried unsuccessfully to pass a law prohibiting the importation of slaves into Delaware, and directed his slaves to be freed at the time of his death in 1784.

Rodney's historic legacy is his legendary ride from southern Delaware through a thunderstorm to Philadelphia, where he arrived in his boots and spurs to deliver the colony's decisive vote for independence in 1776. His ride is featured on the state's quarter, and on blue and yellow signs throughout the state.

The Trump administration plans to take the Caesar Rodney statue out of storage and temporarily place it in Washington's Freedom Plaza, according to Republican state Sen. Eric Buckson, representing Kent County, who has long been trying to bring the statue back on display.

Buckson, R-Camden, was recently in talks with the Trump administration about having the statue displayed on The Green, a National Historical Park in Dover.

Rodney was also mentioned as a part of the National Garden of American Heroes, which was borne from a 2021 executive order signed in President Donald Trump's first term. The order lays out exactly who should join the statue garden, which includes Abraham Lincoln, Kobe Bryant and Rodney.

Walker said officials have inspected the statue, and that it does not need maintenance. Wilmington owns the statue, but none of its public money is being used for the transfer, Walker said.

"Wilmington taxpayers are not paying for anything with regards to transportation to the DC," Walker said.

The city said the statue will return to Wilmington after it is removed from the capital.

Kanishka Singh, Reuters, contributed to this story.