Old Courthouse and Old Post Office

Old Cakes.

Old Courthouse

In 1816, August Chouteau and Judge John B.C. Lucas donated land to St. Louis County for a courthouse. The original courthouse was completed in 1828. However, St. Louis grew so much during this time that the courthouse was outgrown within ten years. A second courthouse was designed and incorporated the original courthouse as the east wing of the building.

The Old Courthouse was the site of the first two trials of the Dred Scott case in 1847 and 1850. Also in the 1870s, it was the location of the Virginia Minor case for a woman’s right to vote trial. The Old Courthouse is also listed in the National Park Service’s National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

Cake artist - Henryk Ptasiewicz

Old Post Office

In 1865, after the Civil War ended, five grand Federal Buildings were ordered to be built in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and St. Louis. These were the fastest growing cities in America at the time. The Post Office opened in 1884 and hundreds of millions of mail were handled all by hand, in the first year alone. By 1942 all of the other buildings in the other cities had been demolished, except for ours here in St. Louis, The Old Post Office.

Guest blogger - Diane

Cake artist - Rich Brooks

One hundred-twenty-three and One hundred-twenty-four down 126 to go.