Dayton observations

Dayton observations

The trip to Dayton was a great way to conclude our semester on evolution. It was easy to reminisce about what it was like in 1925. There were new buildings and perhaps a few renovated ones from then and new cars along with some antique ones on display. The people that wandered around the arts and crafts booths and sat on benches listening to bluegrass music could easily have been at home with their ancestors ninety-three years ago.

Fortunately, the courtroom was air-conditioned and the temperature outside was very mild compared to what it was in 1925. The museum in the basement contained lots of additional information about Rhea County, Dayton, and the trial. The little restaurant, Monkey Town Brewing Co, where we dined before returning home had good southern food and some appropriately named drinks and food. On the walls there were old newspapers hanging in frames describing some of the events of the time.

It was easy to imagine Matthew Chapman touring the town and we even drove around the campus of Bryan College but didn’t have time to stop and see if Professor Kurt Wise was still there. I don’t know how similar the play that Chapman missed was to the one we viewed, but it was well-rehearsed and choreographed with many actors ranging in age from young children to senior citizens. Some live in Dayton and others commute. The storyteller is from Murfreesboro.

In reflecting on our discussion of evolution and natural selection, I observed the diversity of fauna and flora that existed on the way from Murfreesboro to Dayton as we passed acres and acres of trees and shrubs in McMinnville and several stretches of highway were kudzu has overwhelmed the native species. Non-native trees planted in fields row after row made me imagine what would happen to them if left unattended for fifty years. Would the area revert to what existed before? Also, the kudzu reminded me of what can happen when a species of plant overwhelms an area, killing everything under it. I’m sure Darwin would have had some thoughts about both.

Rhea county once was known as the strawberry capital of the country. Then disease hit the strawberries. Nature isn’t always kind to a species and since disease resistant strawberries didn’t evolve, the strawberry industry was wiped out.

If you couldn’t make the trip to Dayton, you might want to go sometime to enjoy the beautiful scenery and if you went, you might want to return.