Dayton: Rhea County and the 1925 Scopes Trial
Dayton is the seat of Rhea County, in southeast Tennessee along the Tennessee River. Population is around 7,500. The town sits on the west side of the river near Watts Bar Lake and is connected to Chattanooga by US Highway 27, about 40 miles to the south.
The Rhea County Courthouse in downtown Dayton is the site of the 1925 State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes case, known as the "Monkey Trial." John Scopes, a local high school biology teacher, was prosecuted for violating the Butler Act, a Tennessee law that prohibited teaching human evolution in public schools. The case drew national attention because it featured William Jennings Bryan for the prosecution and Clarence Darrow for the defense. Scopes was convicted and fined $100, though the verdict was later overturned on a technicality. The courtroom is preserved as a National Historic Landmark and houses a museum on the trial.
Bryan College, a private evangelical Christian college, was founded in Dayton in 1930 in memory of William Jennings Bryan, who died in Dayton five days after the Scopes trial ended. The college enrolls roughly 700 students and continues to reflect its founding purpose as a Christian liberal arts institution.
Watts Bar Lake, a Tennessee Valley Authority reservoir, runs along the east side of Dayton. The lake was created in 1942 by Watts Bar Dam and spans about 39,000 acres. The Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, operated by TVA, sits on the lake south of Dayton and includes the first new nuclear reactor licensed in the United States in the 21st century when Unit 2 came online in 2016.
On Escortservice.com, Dayton coverage consists of escort website reviews and listings. The directory is a listing service and nothing more. It does not facilitate meetings or verify any party. The site is restricted to users aged 21 and over.
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Dayton is the seat of Rhea County, in southeast Tennessee along the Tennessee River. Population is around 7,500. The town sits on the west side of the river near Watts Bar Lake and is connected to Chattanooga by US Highway 27, about 40 miles to the south.
The Rhea County Courthouse in downtown Dayton is the site of the 1925 State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes case, known as the "Monkey Trial." John Scopes, a local high school biology teacher, was prosecuted for violating the Butler Act, a Tennessee law that prohibited teaching human evolution in public schools. The case drew national attention because it featured William Jennings Bryan for the prosecution and Clarence Darrow for the defense. Scopes was convicted and fined $100, though the verdict was later overturned on a technicality. The courtroom is preserved as a National Historic Landmark and houses a museum on the trial.
Bryan College, a private evangelical Christian college, was founded in Dayton in 1930 in memory of William Jennings Bryan, who died in Dayton five days after the Scopes trial ended. The college enrolls roughly 700 students and continues to reflect its founding purpose as a Christian liberal arts institution.
Watts Bar Lake, a Tennessee Valley Authority reservoir, runs along the east side of Dayton. The lake was created in 1942 by Watts Bar Dam and spans about 39,000 acres. The Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, operated by TVA, sits on the lake south of Dayton and includes the first new nuclear reactor licensed in the United States in the 21st century when Unit 2 came online in 2016.
On Escortservice.com, Dayton coverage consists of escort website reviews and listings. The directory is a listing service and nothing more. It does not facilitate meetings or verify any party. The site is restricted to users aged 21 and over.
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