National Historic Landmark-Rhea County Courthouse

From July 10-21, 1925, this was the scene of the controversial and widely-publicized trial of John Thomas Scopes (1901-1970) for teaching Darwin's theory of evolution in a Dayton public school.

A battle of wits between two great lawyers--William Jennings Bryan, for the prosecution, and Clarence Darrow, for the defense--the trial symbolized the clash between fundamentalist and modernist thought in science, theology, philosophy, and politics.

Credits and Sources:

Information courtesy of the National Park Service.