ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - A new marker to honor Dred Scott is coming soon to the Calvary Cemetery.
On Saturday, the Dred Scott Heritage Foundation will honor Scott with a new marker at the cemetery, where his body lies to rest.
Lynne Jackson, president & founder of the foundation, along with being descendent of Dred and Harriet Scott joined Total Information A.M. Wednesday to discuss Dred Scott, along with his connection to St. Louis and why the monument is in Calvary Cemetery.
Jackson explained that the foundation felt that the original marker dedicated to Scott, donated by a descendant of his original owners family, was always too small and sometimes it made finding Scott's grave too hard to find.
"(Scott) is among the top three, if not, the most asked for, person to-see gravesite at Calvary, who has 300,000 people at the cemetery," said Jackson.
The new marker will be a nine foot high black granite marker that will have a picture of Scott. The marker was designed to look like a courthouse, with columns designed into it.
At the bottom of the marker, right on the same middle column as the Scott's picture is also a picture of a unbalanced scale that holds special meaning to Jackson.
"The scale was a gift to my father, Dr. John A. Madison, from one of his students," said Jackson, "I have it at the Dred Scott Office Center in Chesterfield. And I felt that this would be an appropriate image of the scales to use one that we actually own."
Jackson says it is important to honor Scott due to how much of a direct impact Scott had on the country even though he lost his case for freedom.
"It's because of his case and the fact that (Dred and Harriet) just would not quit nor waiver," said Jackson "That it took 11 years even though they lost, they got their freedom from those original owners. The 13th-15th amendments are sometimes called the 'Dred Scott Amendments' because they came directly as a result of the Dred Scott case. And so that's critical to know as well as the fact we just can't erase our history. We must share it and share it accurately."
The ceremony to unveil the new marker for Dred Scott takes place at Calvary Cemetery, starting at 11 a.m.. The ceremony will feature people who were intricately involved in his story, along with some fellow descendants of Scott. For more information about the ceremony or to learn more about the Dread Scot Foundation, you can out their website.