Dayton

While we were in Dayton, Amy, her sister Ashley, her mom Elaine, and I got to check out the Rhea County courthouse, which was home to the Scopes Trial in 1925. This was the trial of teaching evolution vs. creationism in public schools. William Jennings Bryan -- who has a statue and a college in his honor in Dayton -- was the prosecutor, and Clarence Darrow defended the football coach (John Scopes) who was accused of breaking a Tennessee law that banned the teaching of evolution. The courtroom was restored to the way it was in 1925, and a museum occupied the basement floor of the courthouse depicting the trial of the century (sorry, OJ). The four of us got a sense of history and some good pictures while Granddaddy was a sport in manning the van with two sleeping grandsons.

The Rhea County Courthouse



A statue in honor of William Jennings Bryan



The site of the famous Scopes Trial



The actual courtroom, restored to its original form as it existed in 1925.