Dred and Harriet Scott Statue

The Dred and Harriet Scott statue on the east side of the Old Courthouse

Don Rusk/NPS Photo

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Dedicated in 2012 by the Dred Scott Heritage Foundation, the National Park Service and sculptor Harry Weber, this statue of Dred and Harriet Scott honors their fight for their family's freedom. Their fight began in 1846 here at the Old Courthouse when Dred and Harriet began their long legal battle for their rights. Their case began here, but over the course of eleven years it made its way to the Supreme Court where the final verdict helped push the country to civil war. The Scott family didn’t find the freedom they sought through the legal challenge, but their courage and determination in filling this case helped bring about freedom from enslavement for all Americans.