Westport Courthouse

Historical marker location:

Westport, Kentucky

( 6901 KY 524, Westport, KY)

Westport Courthouse - First court session held here in 1828. In addition to indicting criminals and appointing justices of the peace, the court resolved sales, auctions, and escapes of enslaved people & settled disputes pertaining to slave hire-outs. The court moved to nearby LaGrange in 1838. Sponsored by Oldham County Tourism and Oldham County Historical Society.

Reverse

The Courthouse and Enslavement - Records related to enslavement were common. Justice of the Peace William Gatewood was charged for the illegal hire-out of Mahala, mother of Henry Bibb’s wife Malinda. Bibb, a famous abolitionist, escaped Gatewood’s enslavement & created a colony in Canada for fugitive slaves. Sponsored by Oldham County Tourism and Oldham County Historical Society.

Dedicated August 31, 2019.

Courthouses Slavery