Westport Courthouse

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.