Continuing our July 2014 visit to St. Louis, we spent some time at the Old Courthouse two blocks west of the Gateway Arch. The historic building is part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. The building houses offices, a bookstore, a small theater room, restrooms and four wings of St. Louis history on the main floor as well as two restored courtrooms on the second floor.
This is the building where Dred Scott sued for his freedom from slavery. A 20 minute film provides context for the case. While he won his freedom during the second trial in 1846, the United States Supreme Court ruled in 1857 that African Americans could not be citizens and thus Scott had no standing to sue. The 7-2 ruling has been cited as one of the worst decisions made by the court as it ignored many precedents in trying to craft a ruling that would actually settle the slavery issue. Instead, the ruling became one of the catalysts for the American Civil War.
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| The Old Courthouse |
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| The copper-clad dome was based on the dome in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome |
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| This statue of Dred and Harriet Scott was unveiled in 2012 |
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| East entrance to the courthouse |
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| Looking up at the three galleries surrounding the dome |
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| A model of the 1851 courthouse showing the included 1828 building |
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| Lookup up through one of the winding staircases |
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| One of two restored courtrooms |
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| 1904 St. Louis Motor Carriage automobile |
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| Gateway Arch from a courthouse window |
There is no entrance fee to visit the Old Courthouse.
The park website is http://www.nps.gov/jeff/index.htm.
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