rhea county courthouse

We were in east Tennessee to photograph sandhill cranes and drove through Dayton on a foggy, overcast day. I couldn't resist the opportunity to visit and photograph this historically important courthouse. Because it was Sunday, the courthouse and the museum were closed, but I was able to walk the grounds, view the statures, read the historical plaques, and take some photos. I doubt that I will every have an opportunity to return, but I highly recommend visiting the courthouse if you are ever in the area. It's an informative experience.

The courthouse, built in 1891, was the site of one of the most famous criminal trials of the twentieth century. It was here, on the second floor, that John Thomas Scopes, a 24-year-old science teacher was tried for teaching evolution. The trial pitted two legal stalwarts, William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow, against each other in July, 1925. The courtroom is huge. Original chairs and benches and tables and railings are still here in the courtroom, which is still active. Cases are still tried here. I was awed by the size of the courtroom and by the original furniture still in place. The courtroom was not in use when my wife and I stopped in. There's a museum in the basement that is dedicated to the Scopes trial, with newspaper clippings, photos, and documents. It's as though the trial was held last week. One of the assistant prosecutors was a man named Sue Hicks. His fame came from a source other than the Scopes trial. Hicks was one of the speakers later in another Tennessee city. Shel Silverstein happened to be sitting in on Hicks's talk. Silverstein was struck by the fact that Hicks had a girl's first name, which prompted Silverstein to write the song "A Boy Named Sue," which Johnny Cash later made famous. The lyrics were not biographic as to Sue Hicks, and Johnny Cash was unaware of Sue Hicks when he popularized the song. Sue Hicks was named after his mother, who died a few days after childbirth. Sue Hicks went on to become a judge. Years later he noted that although he had tried thousands of criminal cases, including 800 murder cases, he was best known as the inspiration for the song.

If you know nothing about the Scopes Trial, this would be a good visit. The exhibit acquaints you with the lawsuit, the personages involved in the trial, copies of newspaper articles and the Tennessee State law on the teaching of evolution. If you already know about the trial (or have watched Spencer Tracy in the role of Clarence Darrow) you might be disappointed with the lack of detail in this exhibit. Anyway, it is a worthwhile visit if you're in the area. One tip on getting there: don't follow GPS or GoogleMaps. Get a good atlas and go.

Free, donation requested museum featuring information about the Scope "Monkey Trial" of 1925. The great battle between William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow. The basement museum exhibits displays with lots of interesting historical information. The original courthouse is still in use and is in near original format and quite aged. The volunteer guide was very friendly and informative.

I am a retired history and civics teacher and finally had the chance to visit Dayton and the Rhea County Courthouse. It was the site of one of the most interesting trials in US History. The Scope "Monkey Trial" of 1925. The great battle between William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow. It starts with the sidewalk timeline in front fo the beautiful old courthouse( it does not go back to pre-historic times!) If you have really studied the trial, or have only read "Inherit the Wind" or seen the movie, and no matter your polital-religious-scientific beliefs, you should enjoy the visit. We enjoyed seeing the actual courtroom(you have to go through a metal detector, as it is still a functioning courhouse). The courtroom is huge and does not appear as it was portrayed in the movie. The downstairs museum is chocked full of great artifacts, from photos, documents, newspaper headlines, fans given out from the area funeral home due to the excessive heat, to buttons and other monkey trial souveniers. There is a giftshop, but it is operated by volunteers and was closed. We loved it and were so glad we took the time to get off of I-75 to view the courthouse and town. Highly recommended!

I made the mistake of entering the courthouse via the main entrance, as opposed to the museum entrance in the basement. The security guard barked at me to open my rucksack for inspection. People were waiting around in the lobby, no doubt for a case to begin. I had to take the elevator down to the museum. There was no-one on duty to show me around, and it turned out to be a tiny museum, mostly devoted to the Scopes trial. Also the guard warned me not to go up to the court room, as a case was being tried at that moment. I felt the environment was not pleasant, a bit like visiting a jail. On the way back to my car, I saw the sheriff leading two prisoners out of the courthouse with handcuffs on - they were wearing jail uniform: white T-shirts and striped trousers. The most interesting thing is to look on the ground on the neighbouring pavement for the history of Dayton which is etched on the cement, detailing the area's history since the earliest times.

I especially enjoy this trip because my family is part of the history of the Rhea County Courthouse. My Great-Grandaddy took my Gandfather and siblings to the Scopes Trial. Several of the jury members attended the churches my Granddaddy preached at and my Grandfather remembered how hot it was.

did i mention free, leave a donation tho. free free free free free free free free free free free free free

This was a nice small museum in the basement of the original court house. Some memorabilia is displayed with a lot of large photographs of the trial.The old court room that has not been updated and is still in use today.We also happened to stop during their Strawberry Festival, which was a nice bounce.

It was Sunday, so it was closed, but was a good time to share a history lesson w/the grandkids, There is an outside plaque and the grounds are nice.

this old courthose looms against the back drop of a bygone era that has been passed by in time ,but if you squint you can almost see clarence darrow and william jennings byrant strolling down the staircase from the courtroom where the scopes monkey trial took place.

Had a little time between other activities and stopped to see this museum. It was small but well presented, informative and easy to read and understand. Few artifacts, but made you feel in the middle of the Scopes trial. I would recommend to adults or history buffs, not little children.

Informative displays and great artifacts. Very well done. Wish there was a staff member or volunteer there to ask questions of and to be able to purchase the literature that was there for sale. Also, some brochure slots were empty and the guest book was full. it's a gem that just needs a little polish. Check out timeline on front sidewalk!

Nice old courthouse and grounds. We were there on Saturday and the museum was closed, so missed out on seeing some of the famous trial stuff. There was a nice farmers market on one side of the courthouse.

basement museum contains displays history buffs of this important judicial documents.also info on famous persons of surrounding area. warning closes around 4:30 pm