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The Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries will mark the centennial anniversary of the landmark Scopes trial with a new exhibit at Vanderbilt’s Central Library.
Celebrating 150 Years of Evolution at Vanderbilt is on view in the Central Library second-floor gallery until mid-November 2025. The exhibit, which draws from Vanderbilt’s Special Collections and University Archives as well as other materials, explores how evolutionary thought has been regarded by faculty and administrators and taught in the classroom from the university’s founding to the present day.
Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1859, just 16 years prior to Vanderbilt welcoming its first class of students. An 1884 edition of Darwin’s seminal work, early plaster casts, and fossils like those once displayed in the university’s original natural history museum are among the featured artifacts in the exhibit.
Vanderbilt’s ties to the notorious Scopes trial also run deep. This 1925 legal case in Dayton, Tennessee, where high school teacher John T. Scopes was tried for teaching evolution in a public school, highlighted the tension between religious fundamentalism and modern science and contributed to the decline of anti-evolution laws. The exhibit includes contemporaneous letters, newspaper headlines and magazines that show the Vanderbilt community confronting its own complex questions about faith, evolution and the role of education.
In addition, the exhibit showcases Vanderbilt’s leadership in evolutionary research post-World War II. Historical figures such as Elsie Quarterman, Olle Pellmyr and David McCauley—whose work shaped the university’s legacy in plant biology, ecology and genetics—as well as contemporary researchers like Antonis Rokas, Megan Behringer, Larisa DeSantis and Neil Kelley—who are applying evolutionary studies to yeast genetics, microbial adaptation, predator fossils and ancient marine vertebrates—are featured.
“Exploring 150 years of evolution with the staff of Special Collections—especially (University Archivist and Associate Director) Kathy Smith—at Vanderbilt has been a fascinating journey through forgotten archives, unexpected discoveries, and the people who helped shape the science,” said Andy Flick, scientific coordinator of Evolutionary Studies at Vanderbilt, whose Sesquicentennial grant made the exhibit possible. “It’s a reminder that the story of evolution isn’t just about fossils; it’s about faculty, students and ideas that continue to evolve.”
The Heard Libraries exhibit joins other commemorations of the Scopes centennial at Vanderbilt in 2025, including a seminar series hosted by Dialogue Vanderbilt this spring; the 10th annual meeting of the International Society of Evolution, Medicine and Public Health July 8–10; and the Scopes “Monkey” Trial Centennial Symposium July 12–13.
Celebrating 150 Years of Evolution at Vanderbilt is on display through Nov. 14. The exhibit is open to the public during Central Library’s regular hours of operation. For more information, contact specialcollections@vanderbilt.edu.
