TravelWorld International Magazine Fall 2022

Heroes and Outlaws of Missouri
A TALE OF 3 CITIES
Story and Photos by Kathleen Walls
Missouri was part of the old west back in the 1800s. Three of its cities showcase the part heroes and outlaws played
that formed the history and culture of the state and the country. Here are the places I visited that helped tell the
story of these men and women who were native to, or lived a part of their lives, in these cities.
ST. LOUIS
red and Harriet Scott were enslaved
people held by army doctor John
Emerson. After Emerson’s death, they
passed to his widow, Irene Emerson.
On April 6, 1846, Dred and Harriet
Scott filed separate petitions in the St.
Louis Circuit Court to obtain their freedom
from slavery. They based the suit on the fact that
Dr. Emerson had taken them to the free state of
Illinois and the free Wisconsin Territory, where
they were considered free. The law at that time
stated that “once free, always free.” After a lengthy
series of trial and appeals all the way to the
Supreme Court, in 1857 the Supreme Court ruled
against the Scotts. This case became the lightning
rod leading to the Civil War.
The statue of
Dred and Harriet
Scott in front of
the Old Courthouse
Their statue is in front of the Old Courthouse.
You’ll find exhibits about the case at the Griot
Museum of Black History and the Missouri
History Museum.
The Griot Musuem
Museum Building
An exhibit
at Griot
Museum of
Harriet and
Dred Scott
conferring
with their
lawyer.
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