W. C. Bailey’s Boarding House

In the sweltering summer of 1925, the Bailey Boardinghouse, owned by William C. “Bill” Bailey, in Dayton, Tennessee, stood as an unassuming yet significant landmark in the drama of the Scopes Trial. Situated at the bustling intersection of 4th Avenue and Market Street, just a short walk from the Rhea County Courthouse, the boardinghouse provided lodging for several key figures entwined in the historic case.

Among its long-term residents was John T. Scopes himself, who lived there while serving as Rhea Central High School’s football coach and a substitute teacher. As the trial drew national attention, the boardinghouse briefly became a hub of activity, hosting Scopes’ father, the sharp-witted journalist Bugs Baer, and even the trial’s most unusual guest—the chimpanzee Joe Mendi, a publicity stunt that added an almost surreal element to the spectacle.