The Old Courthouse in St. Louis, where Dred Scott’s freedom suit was tried, is free to enter, and four other official sites cover Carver, Lincoln University and Kansas City’s baseball and jazz museums.
This page sticks to what official pages say. It names sites and organizations and leaves out private residents. Where an official page did not load or did not name Missouri, the list at the bottom says so.
Sites to Visit
These five places are described by their own official pages, read October 31, 2026. We name organizations and sites, never private residents.
| Site | Town | What the official page says | Hours and fees as printed | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Courthouse, Gateway Arch National Park | St. Louis | The first two trials of the Dred Scott case were held here, and the Virginia Minor voting-rights case went to trial here in the 1870s. Construction began in 1839, the building was last used as a courthouse in 1930, and it reopened after renovations on May 3, 2025. | 11 North 4th Street. Open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. No admission fee. | NPS: Old Courthouse updated October 10, 2026 |
| George Washington Carver National Monument | Diamond | The park tells the story of Carver as a child known as the “Plant Doctor.” A 1943 Congressional hearing established the monument, and the page says Carver lived near Neosho until about age 9. | 5646 Carver Road. Guided tours of the Carver trail daily at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Fee not printed. 417.325.4151. | NPS: Carver National Monument updated October 15, 2026 |
| Lincoln University of Missouri | Jefferson City | Soldiers of the 62nd and 65th United States Colored Infantry raised money for a school in 1865. Lincoln Institute was established January 14, 1866 and opened September 17, 1866 with a first class of two students. It became a land-grant college in 1890, and in 1954 opened enrollment to all qualified applicants. | 820 Chestnut Street. 1-573-681-5000. | Lincoln University: our history no date printed |
| Negro Leagues Baseball Museum | Kansas City | The museum calls itself the world’s only national museum dedicated to preserving and celebrating the history of African-American baseball, and says it was established in 1990. | 1616 E 18th Street. Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday noon to 5 p.m. Admission not printed on the page we read. (816) 221-1920. | Negro Leagues Baseball Museum no date printed |
| American Jazz Museum | Kansas City | In Kansas City’s historic 18th & Vine Jazz District; the page invites you to experience the story of jazz where it happened. | 1616 E 18th Street. Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday noon to 5 p.m.; closed Mondays from September 14, 2026 through May 31, 2027. Adults $15, seniors 65+ $12, youth 6 to 18 $10, students and educators with ID $12, ages 5 and under free. | American Jazz Museum: visit no date printed |
More Sites on Our Own Pages
The state park system also runs two historic sites on this theme. We list them from the park system’s pages on our own site; see Scott Joplin House State Historic Site and Sappington African American Cemetery State Historic Site. The park system’s own Scott Joplin House page did not load for this check, so this page adds no facts about it.
For the national list of landmarks, see Missouri National Historic Landmarks.
Read The Records
The Missouri State Archives began its African American History Initiative in October 2001. Its pages list a guide to African American history, a timeline, “Missouri’s Early Slave Laws: A History in Documents,” “United States Colored Troops in Missouri,” “Before Dred Scott: Freedom Suits in Antebellum Missouri” and “Progress Amidst Prejudice: Portraits of African Americans in Missouri, 1880-1920.” Start at the Missouri State Archives initiative page (page undated, footer 2007-2024).
What We Could Not Verify
- Scott Joplin House State Historic Site: the park system’s page returned an error, so we print no address, hours or history for it.
- The dates of the Dred Scott trials: one NPS page says the first two trials were held in 1847 and 1850, and another NPS article’s timeline puts both in 1847. We print only that the first two trials were held at the Old Courthouse.
- Negro Leagues Baseball Museum admission and George Washington Carver National Monument entrance fee: not printed on the pages we read.
- Lincoln University: its history page also mentions 1877 for college-level work; a search summary suggested other dates. We use only the 1866 and 1890 dates, as printed.
- National Park Service Underground Railroad and Civil Rights pages name no Missouri site, and we found no Missouri State Historic Preservation Office page on this theme. Homer G. Phillips and Sumner High School have no official page we could read.
- Whether hours below are current: they are as printed on October 31, 2026.
More Missouri Guides
Questions People Ask
Is the Old Courthouse free?
Yes. The National Park Service says there is no admission fee, and it is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day.
Where is the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum?
At 1616 E 18th Street in Kansas City, in the same building as the American Jazz Museum, according to both museums’ pages.
Where can I read Missouri records on African American history?
The Missouri State Archives African American History Initiative lists guides, a timeline and document collections.
Sources
- NPS: Old Courthouse
- NPS: Old Courthouse article
- NPS: George Washington Carver National Monument
- NPS: Carver history and culture
- Lincoln University of Missouri: our history
- Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
- American Jazz Museum: visit
- Missouri State Archives: African American History Initiative
- NPS: Network to Freedom
- NPS: Civil Rights
Checked October 30, 2026 by It’s Missouri. Cite this page: It’s Missouri (https://itsmissouri.com/history/black-history-in-missouri/), checked October 30, 2026. Free to quote with a link.