Ste. Genevieve Municipal Court

When Ste. Genevieve was first settled in the 1740’s it was located a couple of miles South of its present location. When the French ceded their territory West of the Mississippi river to Spain, the people in Ste. Genevieve kept their French character, language and culture. A damaging flood around 1785 caused the people of the village to move to higher ground at its present location between the forks of the Gabouri Creek. Two events maintain the French culture of the beginnings of the city. La Guiannée (New Year’s Eve) continues an old tradition with revelers, dressed in bizarre and archaic costumes, wandering through the wander in the streets, cafes and pubs of old Ste. Genevieve’s Historic district singing a beggar’s song for favors. The Annual King’s Ball, originally held to celebrate twelfth-night, is held the first Saturday in February and if you attend it is expected that you will dress in French Colonial attire and participate in the traditional music and dance.