Old Courthouse

Old Courthouse shot from the Top of the Gateway Arch

NPS/Sue Ford

Welcome to the Old Courthouse!

The Old Courthouse was the site of the first two trials of the pivotal Dred Scott case in 1847 and 1850. It was also where Virginia Minor's case for a woman's right to vote came to trial in the 1870s. You may tour this historic structure, exploring the four new msueum galleries that opened May 2025 and the restored historic courtrooms.

St. Louis' Old Courthouse is listed in the National Park Service's National Underground Railroad Network To Freedom. The Network to Freedom recognizes sites, programs and facilities with verifiable associations to the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad has been broadly defined by the National Park Service as the "historic resistance to enslavement through escape and flight." The Old Courthouse is linked with the story of the Underground Railroad, and with that of slavery, as a place associated with legal challenges to slavery. It was a public forum as well as a courthouse. Enslaved people were auctioned from its steps in estate settlements, and the Old Courthouse was the site of hundreds of suits for freedom. One case in particular gained international notoriety. In 1847, Dred Scott, with his wife Harriet, sued for, and were granted, their freedom. After many appeals over many years, the case was eventually decided upon by the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court decision stated that slaves were property, and as property, they were not citizens and had no right to sue. The Dred Scott Decision hastened the start of the Civil War.

 

Hours

The Old Courthouse is open daily from 9am to 5pm. It is closed on Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Years Day. There is no admission fee.

Programs

National Park Service rangers provide guided tours of the building every day at 2:15. These tours cover the architecture and history of the building and the court cases associated with it. Visitors are also invited to explore the building's four museum galleries and two historically furnished courtrooms on their own. National Park Service staff are available to answer questions.

 

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  A New Vision for the Old Courthouse

  Old Courthouse Renovation

  Learn about the improvements made to this historic building during our $24.5 million renovation project 2020-2025.

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  Plan your family's visit

  New Exhibits for the Old Courthouse

  Learn about the four new museum galleries.

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  A Family's Fight for Freedom

  The Dred Scott Trial

  When Dred and Harriet Scott filed for their freedom here, they started one of the most important court cases ever tried in the United States