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National Register of Historic Places

Rhea County Courthouse

Rhea County Courthouse is a historic place in Dayton, Rhea County, Tennessee, listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places on November 7, 1972, and designated a National Historic Landmark. Its National Register reference number is 72001251.

Dayton, Rhea County, TennesseeListed November 7, 1972NRIS #72001251★ National Historic Landmark
Photograph of Rhea County Courthouse
Photo: Rhea County Courthouse via Wikimedia Commons — see the file page for author and license. Image source
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Location 01

Rhea County Courthouse

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About this place

What is Rhea County Courthouse?

The Rhea County Courthouse is a historic county courthouse in the center of Dayton, the county seat of Rhea County, Tennessee. Built in 1891, it is famous as the scene of the Scopes trial of July 1925, in which teacher John T. Scopes faced charges for including Charles Darwin's theory of evolution in his public school lesson. The trial became a clash of titans between lawyers William Jennings Bryan for the prosecution and Clarence Darrow for the defense, and epitomizes the tension between fundamentalism and modernism in a wide range of aspects of American society. The courthouse, now also housing a museum devoted to the trial, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976.

Source: Wikipedia, text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

The record

Listing details

Name
Rhea County Courthouse
City
Dayton
County
Rhea County
State
Tennessee
Listed on the National Register
November 7, 1972
NRIS reference number
72001251
Resource type
building
National Historic Landmark
Yes
Coordinates
35.49511, -85.01280
When was Rhea County Courthouse listed on the National Register?

Rhea County Courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 7, 1972.

Where is Rhea County Courthouse located?

Rhea County Courthouse is located in Dayton, Rhea County, Tennessee at approximately 35.49511, -85.01280. See the map above.

Is Rhea County Courthouse a National Historic Landmark?

Yes. Rhea County Courthouse is designated a National Historic Landmark, the highest federal recognition for a historic place.

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