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Photo by See-Tennessee.com The Rhea County Courthouse in Dayton.   Rhea County is perhaps best known as the 1925 site of the Scopes "Monkey Trial," when local high school science teacher John T. Scopes was charged with teaching about evolution in violation of state law. William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow were among the attorneys who argued the case, which made headlines across the nation. Bryan died in Dayton, the county seat, only five days after the trial's conclusion. Bryan College opened five years later in Dayton as a memorial to Bryan. The land that is now Rhea County was ceded by the Cherokees in the 1700s. The first white explorers and settlers entered the county as early as 1760. Rhea County was created from part of Roane County in December 1807 by Governor John Sevier.

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