Jerry R. Tompkins Editor of “D-Days at Dayton”

Posted on December 29, 2022

Jerry Tompkins Editor of “D-Days at Dayton” Video Presentation at the famous Rhea Courthouse where John Thomas Scopes was convicted of violating the Butler Act in July 1925

Each year, on the anniversary of the famous 1925 Scopes trial, the people of Dayton celebrate with the Scopes Festival. One regular attendee of the festival is Randy Moore, Professor of Biology at the University of Minnesota. Randy began making frequent yearly visits to Dayton 25 years ago, researching the people and events of that famous trial in the summer of 1925. As preparations were being made for the Scopes Festival in 2016, Randy organized a reunion of people who had connections to John Thomas Scopes. Those he invited were Jerry Tompkins editor of “D-Days at Dayton”, James Presley who in 1967 along with Scopes authored the book “Center of the Storm Memoirs of John T. Scopes”, and Susan Epperson (Epperson vs Arkansas, 1968) During their visit they were given a tour of the downtown area seeing the sites related to the events of that week in 1925 that captured the world’s attention. During their visit to the festival, they each spoke individually, sharing stories of their relationship to John Scopes. This was truly an honor to have these guests in town for the Scopes Festival and to be able to learn from them firsthand knowledge of the role they played concerning this historical event.

Jerry Tompkins Passed away on December 19, 2022 in Texas.

Below, you can see the video presentation from July 2016 given by Jerry at the Rhea County Courthouse.

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Spring City Depot Station Closed in 1971

Posted on December 25, 2022

Virginia Murphy fought to preserve the Spring City Depot Station as a historic Landmark.

When a train roars by the old Spring City Depot, the windows rattle, and the floor shakes. But if it hadn’t been for Mrs. Virginia Murphy, the trains would be running past a vacant lot today.

Mrs. Virginia Murphy, who was the executive secretary for the Spring City Chamber of Commerce, once stated that she was dismayed when we were notified in December 1966 that the railroad station depot was to be closed and that the town’s most historic site faced the possibility of destruction. Mrs. Murphy made up her mind to try to save the landmark.

Mrs. Murphy took up the matter with the public service commission and a public hearing was set for early 1967 in Nashville, TN.

They postponed the hearing several times and railroad officials from Washington, D.C., Cincinnati, Ohio, and Somerset, Kentucky, visited Mrs. Murphy several times, pressuring her to give up.

Once again, the hearing was rescheduled, and Mrs. Murphy campaigned to get the hearing held at nearby Watts Bar so the local citizens could attend. The railroad had continued to push to get the whole matter dropped. However, Mrs. Murphy’s persisted in her effort to save the depot. She wrote a series of articles for the local newspapers about the depot. The hearts of the Spring City citizens were full of sentiment for the landmark.

The railroad attempted to make their case by stating they were losing money by keeping the station open. Mrs. Murphy obtained copies of rail shipping receipts from local industries showing how much the railroad had actually gained from Spring City.

Finally, on May 1, 1967, the Southern Railroad notified Spring City that the matter had been dismissed without prejudice. The last freight stop at the depot was made in 1971. Negotiations were made and the city then leased the depot from the railroad company for $100 per year.

The Rhea County Quarterly Commission gave Spring City $3,000 in revenue for the renovation of the depot, and the Hamilton National Bank agreed to landscape the lot and a fence was built around the station to protect it. The birthplace of Spring City continues to stand today as a monument, not only to progress and industry but also to represent a community’s determination and spirit to preserve their past.

Below is pictured the Depot Station as it appears in 2021

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Potters New Store 1931

Posted on December 18, 2022

“Potters” will be the name of the new store in Dayton to be opened next Saturday in the building formerly occupied by Darwin’s, redecorated, and refitted in a very attractive manner. Mrs. Millard, who will manage the store for her father, Judge Potter of Huntsville, Tennessee, a veteran merchant of that community, says the stock will be new, and having been bought at prevailing low prices she will be able to sell for cash at the lowest prices to be found anywhere. As she expects to discount all her bills she will sell only for cash. Mrs. Millard is very busy just now receiving and arranging her stock. She said she was using every effort to have everything ready for the opening next Saturday, when she plans to serve refreshments to all who visit the store. Mrs. Millard has had considerable store experience. She is also well acquainted with the people of Dayton and Rhea County, having been for two years with the Block Department Store and for the last eleven months with Davenport’s. She is having the store fitted in ivory and green and promises it will be a very attractive place to shop. (Dayton Herald Newspaper July 23, 1931)

The photo below shows the building where Potter’s was opened in 1931. This photo was taken during the summer of 1925 at the height of the Scopes Trial

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Rhea County Sheriff Fred Mullins & The Love of His Life

Posted on December 17, 2022

Reminiscing back upon a special couple from our little town of Dayton, Fred & Ida Mullins. Fred met Ida McClure at a community get-together in the Bogle's Chapel community in 1923.

On July 4, 1925, Fred, who was 19, took Ida, who was 18, to be his bride. This was a special day of celebration, celebrating both our country’s independence and the loving couple joining hands in marriage.

A former classmate of Fred’s from high school, Rev. John Porter married the couple. This was back when the cost of a wedding was minimal, compared to the high cost of weddings today.

The couple had two children Ruth & Curtis. During their life, the couple saw many changes, such as transportation and technology, just to name a couple. During an interview in the 1990’s, the couple stated, “Their hardest times were during the Great Depression”.

In 1948, Fred ran for the office of Rhea County Sheriff and was elected. After serving for two years as sheriff, Fred went on to serve four years as Rhea County Tax Assessor. Fred retired from the Southeast Manpower Program, where he served as director of programs in seven area counties.

After raising their children, Ida worked as a bookkeeper at Tennessee Reform School, and also as a clerk in a few downtown Dayton stores. Ida was dedicated to her churches, Bogle's Chapel Baptist Church, and New Union Baptist.

The couple made their home in the Old Washington Community but were living in Pensacola, Florida near their son at the time of their deaths.

Ida McClure Mullins passed away on February 11, 2002, and Fred Aubrey Mullins passed away on August 24, 2002. They are laid to rest in the Smith Wilkey Cemetery near their daughter Ruth who passed away on September 20, 1998. Their son Curtis passed away on March 22, 2018, and was laid to rest in the Hamilton Memorial Gardens in Chattanooga.

The top photo shows Rhea County Sheriff Fred Mullins during his time in office. The second photo is of Fred and Ida's 50th Wedding Anniversary in 1975 from the Cunnyngham Studio Archive Collection.

Fred Mullins Find A Grave Memorial Page Link

Ida Mullins Find A Grave Memorial Page Link

Ruth Mullins Land Find A Grave Memorial Page Link

Curtis Mullins Find A Grave Memorial Page Link

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Old Coke Plant Building Demolished in Dayton Tennessee

Posted on November 4, 2022

This building, which was located on south Market Street across of the First Methodist Church was used by a various number of businesses and organizations, over the years. Originally built as the Coco Cola Bottling Plant. An exact date of construction is unknown at this time, but it is believed to have been built in the late 1930’s. ON November 1, 2022 the building was torn down as part of an expansion project at Dayton City School.

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Dayton Bank Opens Market & 2nd Ave Branch February1957

Posted on October 7, 2022

Dayton Bank Opens in Old American National Bank Building

The Dayton Bank & Trust Company held their formal grand opening on Wednesday, February 20, 1957, at their new and remodeled location at the corner of Market Street & 2nd Ave. This is the former location of the old American National Bank which closed during the 1930’s depression. The new remodeled $100,000.00 building will house the bookkeeping department on a mezzanine overlooking the lobby with the third floor devoted to office space. The new facility has a modern intercommunication system to connect the tellers, officers of the bank, and bookkeeping departments. Pneumatic tubes transmitted records from the tellers to the bookkeeping department saving many steps for the employees.

Below is the building as it appeared prior to closing during the great depression.

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Historian David Gray- In Memory

Posted on September 23, 2022

David Henry Gray, a recognized authority on the history of Chattanooga, Hamilton, and Rhea County, died on Tuesday November 8, 1988.

A native and longtime resident of Hamilton County, Mr. Gray had lived in Coulterville, Sale Creek and Graysville, Tennessee. He attended school in Bakewell and went to the old Soddy High School, graduating in 1933 as class valedictorian. He attended Bryan College in Dayton, Tennessee, and studied business at McKenzie College in Chattanoogan.

In 1942, he enlisted in the US Army, beginning his service as warrant officer and serving with the 5th Army in Casablanca, Algiers, Naples, and parts of Austria.
Upon his return home in 1947, he became associated with Security Mills in Knoxville, accepting the post of auditor, a position which kept him primarily in the south. In 1957, he became manager of Park Oil Company in Maryville, Tennessee, where he remained until retirement in 1960.

After retiring, he farmed and began an intensive study of the people and history of Rhea and Hamilton Counties. He was active in the collection and preservation of early records.
In 1979, the Chattanooga Museum of Regional History received a gift from Mr. Gray of some 5000 items comprising a collection of early farm equipment, household furnishings, auto parts, bottles, military items. Most of the items were from this area and had been collected over a forty-year period by Mr. Gray.

He donated 460 acres of property in Coulterville to the Audubon Society, which they named David Gray Sanctuary, now Audubon Mountain. In 1982 he helped to found the Gray Cemetery Co.

At the time of his death, two brothers, John M. Gray of Bradenton, Florida and Lewis E. Gray, Red Bank, Tennessee, survived him. Two sisters, Jane G. Ketcham, Hardly, Mass. And Ruth G. Carden, Princeton, N.J.

Williamson and Sons Funeral Home, of Soddy Daisy, handled arrangements and burial was in the Gray Cemetery, in Bakeville, Tennessee.

Dr. Theodore Mercer Bryan College

Posted on September 15, 2022

In Memory of Dr. Theodore Mercer Former Bryan College President

Dr. Theodore Mercer, a Spring City native, was named Bryan College’s new President on July 1, 1956. Mercer came to Bryan with 13 years of experience in college administration. He did his undergraduate work at Bob Jones University, from which he also holds the Master of Arts degree in Religion. He did graduate work in English at the University of Chicago and taught in the field of English for several years. In his years at the college, Mercer oversaw the construction of an $878,000 chapel, new dormitories, and a gymnasium, among several other things. Enrollment also rose from 235 to nearly 1,000 during his tenure. In 1986, at the age of 66 and after leading William Jennings Bryan College for 25 years, Dr. Theodore C. Mercer died unexpectedly just weeks before he had planned to give his last commencement speech and retire.

Articles by Dean

Spring City Depot Station Closed in 1971

Virginia Murphy fought to preserve the Spring City Depot Station as a historic Landmark.

Potters New Store 1931

Rhea County Sheriff Fred Mullins & The Love of His Life

Old Coke Plant Building Demolished in Dayton Tennessee

Read More About The History Of The Coke Plant At This Link

Dayton Bank Opens Market & 2nd Ave Branch February1957

Dayton Bank Opens in Old American National Bank Building

Historian David Gray- In Memory

Read More About David Gray And His Rhea County Connection Here.

Dr. Theodore Mercer Bryan College

In Memory of Dr. Theodore Mercer Former Bryan College President

Jerry Tompkins Editor of “D-Days at Dayton” Video Presentation at the famous Rhea Courthouse where John Thomas Scopes was convicted of violating the Butler Act in July 1925

Jerry Tompkins Passed away on December 19, 2022 in Texas.

Below, you can see the video presentation from July 2016 given by Jerry at the Rhea County Courthouse.

Virginia Murphy fought to preserve the Spring City Depot Station as a historic Landmark.

James Presley Video Presentation at the famous Rhea Courthouse where John Thomas Scopes was convicted of violating the Butler Act in July 1925

Below, you can see the video presentation from July 2016 given by James Presley at the Rhea County Courthouse.

Dayton Bank Opens in Old American National Bank Building

In Memory of Dr. Theodore Mercer Former Bryan College President