The post set off angry comments that lambasted Chesco250. State Sen. John Kane, a Democrat who represents Delaware and Chester counties, demanded that his name be removed as a “partner” from the Chesco250 website.

“The Confederacy fought to uphold slavery and tear this country [apart. There’s] no celebrating that,” Kane wrote. “Full stop.”

State Sen. Carolyn Comitta called the post a “disgrace.”

“This was an opportunity to bring people together and bring out the best in each other as Chester Countians, Pennsylvanians, and Americans,” Comitta wrote. “It’s embarrassing that it is even associated with Chester County250 or America250. I wholeheartedly agree with my friend and colleague, Senator John Kane. I do not want to be a part of something that glorifies Jefferson Davis or the racist Confederacy he led.”

According to the commission, once the post was brought to the attention of senior leaders, the organization reviewed its procedures to correct the record and did so “as soon as possible.”

“We deeply regret and sincerely apologize for the understandable anger and outrage the post caused,” the commission wrote. “We share that sentiment and we are committed to putting the controls and mechanisms in place to ensure that nothing like this happens again. A ‘teaching moment’ like this reinforces the very need for Chesco 250 and for programming that ponders our complicated national history.”