Standing on the steps, you can get a great photo of the Arch. You can even use the steps themselves to place your timer-set camera on. And who says history has no use?
Beautiful architecture completed in 1864 and now part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. The Dred Scott Case was tried here, a monumental trial that escalated tensions over slavery.
The Dred Scott Decision is one event that hastened the start of the Civil War. To learn more about St. Louis and its historic background check out this C-SPAN video. Read more
On June 11, 1861, in the Planters House hotel, next to the (Old) Courthouse, Gov. Claiborne Fox Jackson pressed Union Capt. Nathaniel Lyon to disband his militia. Lyon's response: "This means war." Read more
At this courthouse, the slave Dred Scott filed his legal battle for freedom, and suffragist Virginia Minor brought her case for women's voting rights, too. Exhibits document both cases. Read more