Editing Scopes trial (section)

=== Commemoration ===
[[File:Rhea county courthouse usda.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.8|The [[Rhea County Courthouse]], the site of the Scopes trial, is a [[National Historic Landmark]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2013a|dateform=mdy|accessdate=April 28, 2025|refnum=72001251|name=Rhea County Courthouse}}</ref>]]
[[Bryan College]] is a private Christian college in Dayton that was established in 1930 in honor of William Jennings Bryan. Bryan had long expressed a desire for the establishment of a fundamentalist Biblical higher educational institution, and during the trial suggested that such a school be established in Dayton.<ref>{{cite web |last=Ketchersid |first=William L. |date=March 1, 2018 |title=Bryan College |url=https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/bryan-college/ |location=Nashville |publisher=Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture|access-date=April 28, 2025}}</ref>

The [[Rhea County Courthouse]] was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1972 and was designated a [[National Historic Landmark]] by the [[National Park Service]] in 1976 for its role in the trial.<ref name="nris"/><ref>{{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |date=<!--Not given--> |title=List of NHLs by State |url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalhistoriclandmarks/list-of-nhls-by-state.htm |website=nps.gov |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=April 28, 2025}}</ref> Between 1977 and 1979 a rehabilitation project was undertaken on the 1891-built courthouse, which had fallen into disrepair. This included restoring the second-floor courtroom to its appearance during the Scopes trial and the establishment of the Rhea County Heritage and Scopes Trial Museum, which opened on May 11, 1979.<ref>{{unbulleted list citebundle|{{cite news |last=Yarbrough |first=Willard |date=February 4, 1977 |title=Courthouse of Scopes Trial Fame Renovated To Restore Its 1925 Look |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-knoxville-news-sentinel-courthouse-o/171258200/ |page=C-1 |work=The Knoxville News-Sentinel |access-date=April 28, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com}}|{{cite news |last=Yarbrough |first=Willard |date=April 9, 1978 |title=NS Trip-of-the-Month Season Opener To Visit Site of Scopes 'Monkey Trial' |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-knoxville-news-sentinel-ns-trip-of-t/171258596/ |pages=A-1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-knoxville-news-sentinel-ns-trip-of-t/171258636/ A-2] |work=The Knoxville News-Sentinel |access-date=April 28, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com}}|{{cite news |author=<!-- not stated --> |date=May 6, 1979 |title=Play based on '25 'Monkey Trial' Opens Friday in Home Courtroom |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-knoxville-news-sentinel-play-based-o/171258519/ |page=G-2 |work=The Knoxville News-Sentinel |access-date=April 28, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com}}|{{cite news |last=Holman |first=Connie |date=July 19, 1979 |title=Friendly ghost haunts site of famous trial |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-jackson-sun-friendly-ghost-haunts-si/171258313/ |pages=1C, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-jackson-sun-friendly-ghost-haunts-si/171258318/ 2C] |work=The Jackson Sun |access-date=April 28, 2025 |via=Newspapers.com}}}}</ref> Located in the basement of the courthouse, this museum contains such memorabilia as the microphone used to broadcast the trial, trial records, photographs, and an audiovisual history.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Scopes Trial Museum & Rhea County Courthouse |url=https://tennesseerivervalleygeotourism.org/entries/the-scopes-trial-museum-rhea-county-courthouse/bd764964-b5ec-4b8d-baed-64a54712dc58 |website=tennesseerivervalleygeotourism.org |publisher=National Geographic |access-date=May 18, 2025 |date=<!--Not given-->}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Rhea County Heritage and Scopes Trial Museum |url=https://www.rheacountyheritage.com/ |website=rheacountyheritage.com |publisher=Rhea County Historical Society |access-date=May 18, 2025 |date=<!--Not given-->}}</ref>  

Since 1988, locals have participated in a play called "Destiny in Dayton", a re-enactment of key moments of the trial in that takes place in the courtroom during July. This evolved into the larger Scopes Trial Festival in 1989, which includes vendors, craftsmen, and live music.<ref name="tnmag25">{{cite journal |last=Carey |first=Bill |date=April 1, 2025 |title=Festival has Kept Alive the Story of the Scopes Trial |url=https://www.tnmagazine.org/festival-has-kept-alive-the-story-of-the-scopes-trial/ |journal=The Tennessee Magazine |volume= |issue= |publisher= |pages= |doi= |access-date=May 14, 2025}}</ref> The [[Tennessee Historical Commission]] erected a historical marker in front of the courthouse which commemorates the site of the trial. In 2005, a statue of William Jennings Bryan was dedicated on the courthouse lawn, funded by a donation from nearby Bryan College. In 2017, a statue of Clarence Darrow was unveiled near Bryan's statue, funded by a donation from the [[Freedom From Religion Foundation]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Fausset|first=Richard|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/14/us/darrow-bryan-dayton-tennessee-scopes-statues.html |date=July 14, 2017|title=At Site of Scopes Trial, Darrow Statue Belatedly Joins Bryan's |work=[[The New York Times]] |accessdate=July 15, 2017}}</ref>