Statue of 'Scopes monkey trial' evolution backer unveiled in East Tennessee town

(Photo: Mark Zaleski, AP)




Actor John de Lancie, left, and musician Dan Barker remove the drape off the Clarence Darrow statue during the dedication ceremony in front of the Rhea County Courthouse, Friday, July 14, 2017, in Dayton, Tenn. (Photo: Mark Zaleski/Associated Press)


DAYTON, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee town known for the famed 1925 "Scopes monkey trial" saw no protesters Friday as it unveiled a statue of the lawyer who argued for evolution near a sculpture of his creationism-advocating legal rival.

About 75 people were on hand at the Rhea County Courthouse in Dayton as officials revealed the statue of skeptic Clarence Darrow, who argued for evolution. His likeness stands on the opposite side of the courthouse from a 2005 statue of William Jennings Bryan, the Christian defender of biblical creationism.

Though pockets of opposition to the statue exist due to religious objections, no protesters showed at Friday's ceremony for the sculpture championed by atheists. Some attendees donned 1920s-era garb for the festivities.

The new statue hasn't drawn teeming crowds like the ones that forced some 1925 trial proceedings to be moved outdoors. Historians say the trial started as a publicity stunt for the small town, and it succeeded in grabbing plenty of national headlines.

Read more: http://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/tennessee/2017/07/14/statue-scopes-monkey-trial-evolution-backer-clarence-darrow-unveiled-east-tennessee-town/479826001/