Dayton

Dayton: Rhea County Courthouse

Dayton, city, seat (1899) of Rhea county, southeastern Tennessee, U.S. It lies on Richland Creek near the Tennessee River, 36 miles (58 km) northeast of Chattanooga. Originally called Smith’s Crossroads (c. 1820), it was renamed Dayton in the 1870s. The Rhea County Courthouse in Dayton was the scene of the famous Scopes Trial (July 10–21, 1925), in which John T. Scopes, a high school science teacher, was found guilty of teaching evolution. The trial pitted William Jennings Bryan for the prosecution against Clarence Darrow for the defense. The courtroom is preserved and a museum about the trial is located in the building. The Scopes Trial Play and Festival is held annually in July, during which a reenactment of the trial is performed using the original court transcripts. Bryan College (1930) was built on a hill overlooking the city as a memorial to the silver-tongued orator and lawyer-politician, who died in Dayton five days after the trial ended.

The city’s economy is based on agriculture (tomatoes, pumpkins, apples, cabbage, and strawberries) and manufacturing (furniture, hosiery, clothing, and heating equipment). The Tennessee Strawberry Festival is held in May. Inc. 1895. Pop. (2000) 6,180; (2010) 7,191.