A hundred years ago, Dayton became the setting of a nationally publicized trial over science, religion and public education.
Thirty-six years ago, people in Dayton began putting on an event meant to tell the truth about that case — rather than the false narrative told by Hollywood.
Many refer to the Scopes Trial as the “trial of the century.” It’s part of the high school U.S. history curriculum, a topic of many law school seminars, even the frequent subject of “Jeopardy!” questions.
A lot of what many people think they know about the Scopes Trial, however, comes from the 1960 movie “Inherit the Wind.” Although “Inherit the Wind” is an Academy-nominated film starring Spencer Tracy and Fredric March, it is not an accurate depiction of what happened in July 1925.
In real life, Dayton civic leaders convinced substitute teacher John Scopes to challenge the Tennessee law that prohibited the teaching of evolution to bring commerce and attention to the town. Scopes, who was 24 and popular with locals, never went to jail.
In the movie, the teacher is arrested, locals are hostile to him and his lawyers and the town is depicted as an angry hotbed of fundamentalism.
“For many years, the town of Dayton was embarrassed about the Scopes Trial because people thought the movie was accurate,” says Tom Davis, vice president of the Rhea Heritage Preservation Foundation.
This all started to change in 1988. A Mississippi stage veteran named Frank Chapin came to Dayton, hoping to put on a live performance of “Inherit the Wind” in the very courtroom where the Scopes Trial took place. “Folks sent him to Dr. Richard Cornelius, an English professor at Bryan College who knew more about the Scopes Trial than anyone,” Davis says.
The unsung heroes, Davis says, are the citizens of Rhea and nearby counties who play extras in the drama — not to mention the corporations and foundations who support it financially.
After speaking to Cornelius, Chapin decided he would write a new play based on the actual events of July 1925. He called it “Destiny in Dayton,” and it was performed four times in July 1988 in the Rhea County Court-house.
The drama was presented year after year, always in late July. The second year, organizers started adding events to the weekend such as vendors, craftsmen and live music appropriate for the period. It eventually grew into the Scopes Trial Festival and — other than two times — has happened every year since.
There are a lot of people without whom the festival would no longer exist. Rick Dye and Tom Davis have run the events for decades in their roles as president and vice president of the Rhea Heritage Preservation Foundation. Tony McCuiston played the role of Clarence Darrow for 19 years, and Ray Legg portrayed William Jennings Bryan for a similar period. Dan Buck has been involved as a director, actor and writer. The Cumberland County Playhouse did the stage production for a time, but not anymore.
The unsung heroes, Davis says, are the citizens of Rhea and nearby counties who play extras in the drama — not to mention the corporations and foundations who support it financially.
Since 2025 is the centennial of the Scopes Trial, Dayton is gearing up for this year’s festival, which you can read about at scopes100.com.
“Destiny in Dayton” will be performed four times on two weekends (July 11-12 and July 18-19). There will also be a two-day symposium on the Scopes Trial on July 16 and 17 featuring, among others, Edward J. Larson (author of “Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America’s Continuing Debate over Science and Religion”).
Visitors should also explore the Scopes Trial Museum in the basement of the Rhea County Courthouse. The museum was first created in the 1970s and given a major upgrade in 2018, thanks largely to the fundraising efforts of Rhea County resident Laura Travis.
