Dred Scott Courtroom

The courtroom where the Dred Scott cases were heard is no longer in existence. In 1855, even before the Scott's campaign for their freedom ended, the courtroom received extensive renovation. The large courtroom, as originally constructed, occupied the entire west wing. An architectural flaw was discovered which threatened the wing's ceiling on the first floor, and additional support was required. As a result, a new corridor running on an east-west axis was added, dividing the large courtroom where the Scott trials were heard into two smaller courtrooms. A display about the trial is exhibited in this corridor, near the original site.