If Charles Darwin had lived to see his 200th birthday he probably wouldn't have held his party in Rhea County, Tenn. But that doesn't keep one Wisconsin-based group from making sure the evolutionist's legacy is heralded near the site of the famous Scopes trial.

The Freedom from Religion Foundation installed a 12-foot-by-25-foot billboard on U.S. Highway 27 at the Hamilton-Rhea county line reading "Praise Darwin" with an ornate, Biblical-style "P" and a border designed to look like stained glass.

"If you're going to be controversial, we think it should at least be pretty," said Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Madison, Wis.-based foundation. A branch of the foundation was listed as a plaintiff in the 2002 court case that banned Bible classes from Rhea County schools.

The group has posted similar billboards before, but officials decided to create this round of signs in advance of Mr. Darwin's 200th birthday on Feb. 12.

"When we hear from people it's usually positive, but we'll see," Ms. Gaylor said. "We've never been in that area before (with billboards). It's our first foray into Tennessee."

The group already has encountered some resistance, according to Ms. Gaylor. She said the group wanted to lease a board in the city of Dayton but couldn't find a billboard company that would let them rent advertising space.

"I didn't even want their revenue," said Dennis Tumlin, who owns five billboards in the city. "I didn't want their business."

Mr. Tumlin said the group offered him $900 to be on a downtown sign for a month, but he turned them away once he found out their message.

"I had to inform her that I was a Christian and I would not be displaying any sign that supported Darwin or celebrating his birthday," he said. "I felt like they were trying to take a swipe at Bryan College and Dayton."

Bryan College, located in Dayton, is named after William Jennings Bryan, a creationist famous for squaring off in the famed 1925 trial against teacher John Scopes, who was accused of teaching evolution.

After the billboard setback, the foundation chose a billboard maintained by Fairway Outdoor Advertising near the county line.

"There are times when we disagree with an advertising message, but at all times we value our clients' opinions and their rights to express those opinions," said Todd Powers, sales manager for Fairway's Chattanooga region.

The foundation's chief billboard scout was Knoxville resident and Oak Ridge National Laboratory retiree Sharron King.

"That was the closest (billboard owner) we could find that would accept it," she said.

She said she didn't expect everyone would agree with the board's message, but that some people would appreciate it.

"The majority probably will not be happy about it, but I think there are always a few people who have to keep their views to themselves because they're so outnumbered (who) will be happy," she said.

The Rev. J. Milton Knox, pastor of First Baptist Church of Dayton, said many residents would get "bent out of shape" over the sign but look past more subtle anti-Christian messages every day.

"This mindset continues to be propagated whether it's on a billboard or not," he said citing advertising messages like "What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas."

As for the sign's effect on the community, Mr. Knox said it's nothing new for his Baptist congregation near the epicenter of the creation-evolution debate.

"It's something we've been countering for years," he said. "I don't think the whole world's going to change its mind."