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Published: July 16th 2016
The drive from Holiday Travel Park in Chattanooga TN to the Riley Creek Campground in Kingston TN was just over 80 miles, took just under 1 ½ hours and was totally uneventful. Riley Creek Campground is situated on Watts Bar Lake and is centrally located amidst several attractions I had on my A-List, near a fire department friend of mine and close enough to Knoxville such that I could check it out for future exploration.
Near the top of my “A-List” was the
Rhea County Courthouse & Museum in Dayton TN. The Rhea County Courthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and was designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service in 1976. So, you ask, what is so special about this courthouse? THIS courthouse was the scene of the famous, or some might say infamous, Scopes Trial – formally known as The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes and commonly referred to as the Scopes Monkey Trial. I find the background enthralling.
State Representative John W. Butler, a Tennessee farmer and head of the World Christian Fundamentals Association, had lobbied numerous state legislatures to pass anti-evolution laws. He finally succeeded in his home state
when governor Austin Peay signed the Butler Act on March 25, 1925. Believing the law would neither be enforced nor would interfere with education in Tennessee schools, the governor had signed the law to gain support among rural legislators. William Jennings Bryan thanked Peay enthusiastically for signing the bill saying, "The Christian parents of the state owe you a debt of gratitude for saving their children from the poisonous influence of an unproven hypothesis.”
In response, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) offered to defend anyone accused of teaching the theory of evolution in defiance of the Butler Act. On April 5, 1925, George Rappleyea, a local manager for the Cumberland Coal and Iron Company, arranged a meeting with the county superintendent of schools and a local attorney, convincing them that the controversy of such a trial would give Dayton some much needed publicity. Rappleyea pointed out that, while the Butler Act prohibited the teaching of the theory of evolution, the state required teachers to use a textbook that explicitly described and endorsed the theory of evolution, and that teachers were, therefore, effectively required to break the law.
The men then recruited 24-year-old John T. Scopes, a Dayton
high school science and math teacher to be tried for violating the Act. Scopes noted that, while he couldn't remember whether he had actually taught evolution in class, he had gone through the evolution chart and chapter with the class. Scopes told the group, "If you can prove that I've taught evolution and that I can qualify as a defendant, then I'll be willing to stand trial." Scopes urged students to testify against him and coached them in their answers. He was indicted on May 25, after three students testified against him at the grand jury. Judge John T. Raulston had accelerated the seating of the grand jury and all but instructed the panel to indict Scopes, despite the meager evidence against him. Scopes was charged with having taught from the chapter which describes the theory of evolution, race, and eugenics in George William Hunter's textbook,
Civic Biology: Presented in Problems (1914), to an April 24, 1925, high-school class in violation of the Butler Act. He was nominally arrested, but he was never actually detained.
The two sides brought in the biggest legal names in the nation, William Jennings Bryan for the prosecution and Clarence Darrow for the defense.
Darrow, an agnostic, originally declined, fearing that his presence would create a circus atmosphere, but eventually realized that the trial would be a circus with or without him and agreed to assist the defense. The trial was covered by famous journalists from the South and from around the world and was the first trial in the United States to be broadcast on national radio. Reporter H. L. Mencken of
The Baltimore Sun, which was also paying part of the defense's expenses, is credited with providing the trial with its most colorful labels, such as the "Monkey Trial" of "the infidel Scopes." After eight days of trial, it took the jury only nine minutes to deliberate. Scopes was found guilty and fined $100 (equivalent to $1,349 in 2015), but the verdict was overturned on a technicality. The trial publicized the Fundamentalist–Modernist Controversy, which set Modernists, who said evolution was not inconsistent with religion, against Fundamentalists, who said the word of God as revealed in the Bible took priority over all human knowledge. The case was thus seen as both a theological contest and as a trial on whether modern science should be taught in the public schools. After attending church services
and eating a large meal, Bryan died in his sleep while taking a nap that afternoon – five days after the trial's conclusion. Absolutely captivating!
The first floor of the Rhea County Courthouse remains a functioning part of county government while the basement houses the county museum and the second floor houses the courtroom where the trial transpired. About half of the museum relates to non-Scopes local history while half is dedicated to the trial itself – mostly to the carnival-like atmosphere that surrounded the proceedings. Outside the courthouse, a timeline identifies significant events in the county’s history and is interesting unto itself. Those who are not legal or historical fans probably will not find the Rhea County Courthouse & Museum worthwhile, but those who do….
I couldn’t help myself but stop at
Monkey Town Brewing Company, also in Dayton, for lunch. I’m not sure if Dayton has adopted the nickname, if the name stems from a self-inflicted jest or if it reflects a reminder of the book
Monkey Town: The Summer of the Scopes Trial, a 2006 novel written by author Ronald Kidd. Regardless, I had a nice chat with the manager, who was tending bar, and who told me
the establishment had recently celebrated its first anniversary and went on to relate some of the perils of opening an atypical eatery in a small town. Fortunately, they are doing well. After eating an awesome cheeseburger, I understand why!
From Dayton, I headed to Fall Creek Falls in Spencer TN and then to Ozone Falls in Crossville TN. Both waterfalls are readily accessible and seem as though they would be quite appealing were it not for the current drought conditions. One day I took a drive to Fairfield Glade TN to hook up with a former firefighter coworker of mine and his wife. They live on the shore of a small lake whereupon we took a ride on their pontoon boat. They agreed to take a drive to one of the attractions on my “B-List” – the
Cumberland Mountain General Store in Clarkrange TN – for lunch. It was good to see them after about 16 years!
A “Schoolless Saturday” found me heading for the
American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge TN. For some scatter-brained reason, I had the
Department of Energy (DOE) Public Bus Tour functional only on the weekends. The opposite is the case; however, I learned that the demand is exceedingly high, advanced reservations are HIGHLY
The Area Looks Nothing Like This Today
American Museum of Science and Energy - Oak Ridge TNrecommended and that walk-ins should arrive early as the line begins to form as early as 7 AM for unreserved seats and/or no-shows (if any exist) before the bus boarding at 11:15 AM. (Online Registration for future months becomes available approximately 30 days prior to the 1st of the month of the reservation.)
According to local tradition, John Hendrix (1865–1915), an eccentric local resident, who was regarded as a mystic, prophesied the establishment of Oak Ridge some 40 years before construction began. Upset by the death of his young daughter and the subsequent departure of his wife and remaining family, he became religious and told his neighbors he was seeing visions. When he described his visions, people thought he was insane for which he was institutionalized for a time. One of his recurring visions was considered to be a description of the City of Oak Ridge and the production facilities built 28 years after his death. The version recalled by neighbors and relatives has been reported as follows:
“In the woods, as I lay on the ground and looked up into the sky, there came to me a voice as loud and as sharp as thunder. The voice
told me to sleep with my head on the ground for 40 nights and I would be shown visions of what the future holds for this land.... And I tell you, Bear Creek Valley someday will be filled with great buildings and factories, and they will help toward winning the greatest war that ever will be. And there will be a city on Black Oak Ridge and the center of authority will be on a spot middle-way between Sevier Tadlock's farm and Joe Pyatt's Place. A railroad spur will branch off the main L&N line, run down toward Robertsville and then branch off and turn toward Scarborough. Big engines will dig big ditches, and thousands of people will be running to and fro. They will be building things, and there will be great noise and confusion and the earth will shake. I've seen it. It's coming.”
After World War I, German universities experienced a wave of nationalism and anti-Semitism, and the Nuremberg Laws of 1935 barred Jews from government jobs. After Adolph Hitler gained power, thousands of Jews fled Germany, including a large segment of Germany’s scientific brain trust. Scientists expressed their fears that Hitler would use a new-found
process called nuclear fission to build weapons of war. The National Academy of Sciences proposed an all-out effort to develop an atomic weapon before the Germans. The first meeting toward that end was held the day before Pearl Harbor was attacked, December 6, 1941, and President Roosevelt approved the development of an atomic bomb on January 19, 1942.
Later in 1942, the United States government chose the Oak Ridge area as a site for developing materials for the Manhattan Project. Maj. Gen. Leslie Groves, military head of the Manhattan Project, liked the area for several reasons. Its relatively low population made acquisition affordable, the area was accessible by both highway and rail and utilities such as water and electricity were readily available. The project location was established within a 17-mile-long valley partitioned by several ridges, providing natural protection against the spread of disasters at the four major industrial plants – so they wouldn't blow up "like firecrackers on a string." Originally, the uranium separation plants and the bomb construction sites were to be located on the same tracts of land. Groves considered it prudent to separate them.
“Site W” was in a remote area near Hanford WA and
Locals Were Mystified, Employees Were Clueless …
American Museum of Science and Energy - Oak Ridge TN was devoted to plutonium production, “Site X” was devoted to uranium refineries and located at Oak Ridge and “Site Y,” where bomb design, assembly and testing would take place, was located at Los Alamos NM. Many other lesser sites were included in the Manhattan Project, but these were the three major sites – except for “Site Z” which was located near Hiroshima, Japan. Starting in October 1942, the United States Army Corps of Engineers (COE) began acquiring more than 60,000 acres in the Oak Ridge area for the Manhattan Project. Unlike the earlier land acquisitions by the Tennessee Valley Authority for Norris Dam – which were still fresh on the minds of many locals – the Corps' "declaration of taking" was much more swift and final. Many residents came home to find eviction notices tacked to their doors. Most were given six weeks to evacuate, although several had as little as two weeks. Some were forced out before they received compensation.
By March 1943, the COE had removed the area's earlier communities and established fences and checkpoints. Anderson County lost one-seventh of its land and $391,000 in annual property tax revenue. The manner by which the Oak Ridge area
was acquired by the government created a tense, uneasy relationship between the Oak Ridge complex and the surrounding towns that lasted throughout the Manhattan Project. Although original residents of the area could be buried in existing cemeteries, every coffin was reportedly opened for inspection. Because of the large number of workers recruited to the area for the Manhattan Project, the Army planned a town for project workers at the eastern end of the valley. The time required for the project's completion caused the Army to opt for a relatively permanent establishment rather than a camp of enormous size.
Soon, a town had been created with 300 miles of roads, 55 miles of railroad track, ten schools, seven theaters, 17 restaurants and cafeterias and 13 supermarkets. A library with 9,400 books, a symphony orchestra, sporting facilities, church services for 17 denominations and, yes folks, a Fuller Brush Company salesman served the new city and its 75,000 residents. No airport was built, however, for security reasons. That dramatic population increase and the secret nature of the project meant chronic shortages of housing and supplies during the war years. The location and low pre-project population also helped keep the town a secret,
Other Exhibits Explain Supercomputers, And ...
American Museum of Science and Energy - Oak Ridge TN even though the population of the settlement grew from about 3,000 in 1942 to about 75,000 by 1945. The K-25 uranium-separating facility by itself covered 44 acres and was the largest building in the world at that time.
The name "Oak Ridge" was chosen for the settlement in 1943 from among suggestions submitted by project employees. The name related to the settlement's location along Black Oak Ridge, and officials thought the rural-sounding name "held outside curiosity to a minimum." The name wasn't formally adopted until 1949, and the site was referred to as the Clinton Engineer Works until then. All workers wore badges, and the town was surrounded by guard towers and a fence with seven gates. The news of the use of the first atomic bomb against Japan on August 6, 1945 finally revealed to the people of Oak Ridge the results of their labors.
Several permanent exhibits are on hand: 1)
The Story of Oak Ridge offers a panorama of historical photographs, documents and artifacts to explain the Manhattan Project and the construction of Oak Ridge. A 20-minute video presentation is also offered. 2)
Exploration Station offers self-directed activities which explore light and color, sound, problem-solving,
... The Role Of Atomic Energy in Space
American Museum of Science and Energy - Oak Ridge TN static electricity, robotics, vision and more. 3)
Y-12 and National Defense showcases models of weapons, protective clothing and tools along with video and hands-on activities to demonstrate processes, safety features and careers at the Y-12 plant in Oak Ridge. 4)
Earth’s Energy Resources uses maps, tools, models and audiovisual materials to explore the variety of energy sources found on Earth, such as coal, oil, geothermal, hydropower and natural gas. 5)
World of the Atom contains a cross-section model of a nuclear reactor and a simulated underground nuclear waste storage area and also covers pioneering atomic scientists, natural radiation, fusion and the use of nuclear energy in space. There are also a couple of temporary exhibits. Oak Ridge is a must see for those with pre-teens or teens and for those with an interest in history or science.
As I regularly do in larger cities, I set out on Sunday for downtown Knoxville with planned stops at the
Knoxville Visitor Center, the
East Tennessee History Center and the
Alex Haley Statue at Haley Heritage Square with a weather-dependent stroll on the
Cradle of Country Music Walking Tour (for which I had no map or clue as to the location but planned to acquire at the Visitor Center). Of course, Sundays lend themselves to closure or a
A Cutaway Of A Nuclear Reactor
American Museum of Science and Energy - Oak Ridge TN late opening for many attractions, so I got a fashionably late start. I arrived at the Knoxville Visitor Center at noonish to find no parking and a mass of humanity populating the historic downtown district with its multitude of quaint brunch-serving eateries to fuel the responses to the ever-present, “What did you do over the weekend?” quires that will assuredly come at work on Monday. The East Tennessee History Center was in the same block as the Visitor Center, so both were nixed from the list. The Alex Haley Statue is interesting but is not worth a major undertaking to visit.
I had a low-keyed, relaxing week in the Knoxville hinterland, got to spend a day with some friends, visited an historic site that produced a landmark court decision, saw a couple of waterfalls that were operating in a less-than-spectacular mode due to the drought and dined at The Brewery in Kingston, which serves up a burger good enough for me to return to try the awesome daily special – I had the pork chops. I’m told the breakfast is awesome as well. Other than fishing and relaxation, one needs a reason to come to Kingston. Mine was the
Is Haley Pondering As He Overlooks The River Valley?
Alex Haley Statue at Haley Heritage Square – Knoxville TN centralized location. Dayton is commuting distance from Chattanooga, and the American Museum of Science and Energy is commuting distance from Knoxville. My friends – well, you probably don’t want to visit them! I’ll be spending the next week with my aunt in White Mills KY, my mother’s birthplace, so no blog until the week following.
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