Oak Ridge, a secret city, was key to developing technology that ended World War II
Gatlinburg was born when flatlanders from South Carolina found their way to a mountain paradise. Knoxville was born as a fort and a handful of cabins at the headwaters of the Tennessee River. Likewise, Chattanooga’s founding can be linked to its location on the Tennessee River. Many cities across Tennessee came to the world in the usual way. But one East Tennessee city’s birth is not like the others. Born of necessity and as a direct result of the world at war, the Secret City, as it was known, was a construction of the U.S. government.
There were, of course, many achievements of the Greatest Generation. Examples include building an air armada capable of matching Germany and Japan and storming the beaches at Normandy. However, perhaps the most intriguing creation was Oak Ridge and its role in the Manhattan Project, which was the United States’ effort to develop atomic weapons.
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Oak Ridge in 1941
In 1941, the area where Oak Ridge would be developed was mostly empty woods separated by a series of ridges. However, the terrain would prove advantageous in the creation of what would become the country’s central uranium development center. In the fall of 1942, the Army’s Corps of Engineers began acquiring more than 60,000 acres in the region to develop the project. The people who lived within the boundaries were given eviction notices, told to leave and that the land was needed for the war effort.
Buildings for the effort – including the massive K-25 – were quickly erected as were primitive, muddy neighborhoods for the workers necessary to run the project. Within four years, Oak Ridge housed 70,000 people and was Tennessee’s largest city and its best-kept secret.
The history of Oak Ridge
Before the arrival of the Manhattan Project, the region that would become Oak Ridge wasn’t much different than a dozen other areas up and down East Tennessee. There were a handful of small farming communities, most of which have been chiefly lost to history.
So, no one could have seen what was ahead. Well, almost no one, except John Hendrix, the so-called prophet of Oak Ridge. Hendrix – who passed in 1915 – suffered from apparent mental illness. But Hendrix reportedly heard voices that told him to stay in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights. While on the sojourn, he began having visions of the future, including one that told him Bear Creek Valley would someday be filled with great buildings and factories that would help win the greatest war. He told of the coming of a city known as Black Oak Ridge. He also offered details about locations of buildings and more that were – reportedly – uncannily accurate.
Whether or not Hendrix’s prophecies were remembered accurately or with the hindsight of those who remembered his utterances decades later, the Secret City was coming. The area that would become Oak Ridge was attractive for several reasons. The availability of land at low cost, access to hydroelectricity from the recently completed Norris Dam, and the four ridges allowed each facility to have geographic protection. In theory, if one plant had a catastrophic issue, the ridges would keep the other plants from suffering the same fate in a chain reaction.
The Manhattan Project headquarters
Serving as the headquarters of the Manhattan Project, Oak Ridge’s job was essentially to produce 100 pounds of Uranium 235. Workers were isolated in performing specific tasks. In other words, they were not given information that would allow them to see the bigger picture of the project on which they were working. Neighborhoods were created for employees in each segment. The areas were complete with housing and a shopping center to keep the workers isolated.
Of the facilities built, the massive K-25 might be the most impressive. Costing $512 million, the building – the size of roughly 35 football fields – served for filtering Uranium 238 into U-235.
I don’t have to tell you the results. On August 6, 1945, Little Boy – which had plutonium made with uranium enriched at Oak Ridge – was dropped on Hiroshima. The secret of the Secret City was out. The evening edition of News-Sentinel from Aug. 6 had a double-deck, six-column headline about striking Japan. The subhead mentions there are over 425 buildings at Oak Ridge. The specific details about the size of Oak Ridge were still something of a shock.
After the euphoria of winning the war, the question of what to do with the “temporary” city of Oak Ridge. Control of Oak Ridge was transferred from the military to the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission in 1947. In 1959, Oak Ridge became its own self-governing city while, of course, the atomic operations remained under government control.
What the city is like today
The K-12 building remained in use until 1985 and was demolished in 2015. Y-12 remains in operation, used for nuclear weapons processing and materials storage.
The X-10 site is now known as Oak Ridge National Laboratory or ORNL. Today ORNL “delivers scientific discoveries and technical breakthroughs needed to realize solutions in energy and national security and provide economic benefit to the nation. We address national needs through impactful research and world-leading research centers.”
Museums about the Secret City
1. American Museum of Science & Energy, a Smithsonian affiliate
This museum first opened on March 19, 1949, the same day the City of Oak Ridge opened its gates to the public. The museum is located at 115 E Main St in Oak Ridge. Hours of operation are Monday through Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm and Sundays from 1 pm to 5 pm. Hours are subject to change.
2. Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge
This museum explores – among other things – what life was like for the children of the Secret City. It features a variety of exhibits and learning opportunities and is also home to the Manhattan Project National Historical Park Oak Ridge Visitors’ Center. It’s located at 461 West Outer Drive in Oak Ridge. The museum is closed on Mondays but is open 10 am to 4 pm Tuesday through Saturday and 1 pm to 4 pm on Sunday. Hours are subject to change.
3. The K-25 History Center
The K-25 History Center tells the story of K-25 from the Manhattan Project through the Cold War. Located at 652 Enrichment Street in Oak Ridge, the museum is open Monday through Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm and Sunday 1 pm to 5 pm. Hours are subject to change.
4. New Hope Visitor Center at Y-12
Fair warning, this is NOT an Oak Ridge Museum dedicated to the first Star Wars movie. At this museum, you can view “a public interpretive center exploring the history of the Y-12 Plant, one of the original uranium production facilities of the Manhattan Project.” Located at 602 Scarboro Road, the New Hope Visitor Center is the only facility at Y-12 not completely open to the general public. As such, there are some hoops to jump through. For more, click here.
5. Oak Ridge History Museum
This museum is dedicated to the human history of Oak Ridge during the Manhattan Project. Located at 102 Robertsville Road, the museum is open Wednesday through Friday from 10 am to 4 pm and on Saturdays from 10 am to 3 pm. Again, hours are subject to change.
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