The Old Courthouse was the site of the pivotal Dred Scott case in 1847 and 1850.
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Exterior as it appeared in 1854 at the time of the Scott trials. Courtesy of the National Park Service.
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View of the courtroom from doorway. Courtesy of the National Park Service.
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Learn More About Dred and Harriet Scott Case
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Before 1828 the Old Courthouse official city business was conducted in a church, a tavern, and a fort. In 1816 Auguste Chouteau and Judge John B.C. Lucas donated land to St. Louis County for a new courthouse. Their agreement with the county was that the land was to be "used forever as the site on which the courthouse of the County of St. Louis should be erected."
In 1828 the original courthouse was completed with brick in the Federal style of architecture. The population of St. Louis flourished during this period due to the booming fur trade, and the courthouse was outgrown ten years after it opened. Architect Henry Singleton started to design a second courthouse to accommodate the increase in population.
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Old St. Louis Courthouse. Courtesy of the National Park Service.
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When the New Courthouse was incorporation into Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, The National Park Service began preservation of the Old Courthouse and its grounds like Luther Ely Smith Square. A new roof was installed in 1941 and the interior restoration began the same year. Offices were established in the structure by 1943 and museum exhibits displayed. Additional restoration occurred in 1955. The roof was rehabilitated, the murals restored and a new museum exhibit planned in 1979. In 1985 the exterior of the Old Courthouse was renovated. The four St. Louis history galleries were completed in 1986.
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Garrison Flag hanging in the rotunda. Courtesy of the National Park Service.
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The Old Courthouse from Kiener Plaza. Courtesy of the National Park Service.
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View of the Old Courthouse from the Gateway Arch. Courtesy of the National Park Service.
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Other Notable Case
In 1872 Virginia Minor attempted to vote in a St. Louis election and was arrested. Her trials, including the deliberations before the Missouri Supreme Court, were held in this building. The United States Supreme Court in Minor v. Happersett (1875) upheld the male-only voting rules, as the Constitution did not address voting rules, which were set by the states.
