The Manhattan Project

A secret city is born amidst rural Tennessee farmland

Postcard image courtesy of WikiMedia Commons

In 1942, under a veil of secrecy, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers bought 60,000 acres of rural farmland in East Tennessee to construct a “temporary” city and three facilities. They surrounded the site with a large, protective fence and 24/7 security.

These measures were necessary because the United States government had chosen this site for developing the world’s first atomic weapons—an undertaking more commonly referred to as the Manhattan Project.

This unprecedented, top-secret World War II government program focused on the expeditious creation and deployment of the world’s first atomic weapons. The United States’ use of these weapons against Japan in August 1945 ultimately became one of the 20th Century’s most important historical events.

An exhibit at one of the Oak Ridge museums; courtesy of the Library of Congress

Families who originally lived and worked in Oak Ridge had to promise not to discuss their jobs with anyone—even other residents—to prevent project news from leaking out to the enemy.

Other than top scientists working at Oak Ridge, most employees didn’t realize they were actually helping build the atomic bombs that would be used in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

An exhibit at an Oak Ridge museum; courtesy of the Library of Congress

After the war, Oak Ridge transitioned into an independent city that became self-governing in 1959. Learn more about the original residents of Oak Ridge and the types of jobs they were given at tnmuseum.org/junior-curators/posts/the-secret-city.

Oak Ridge, Tennessee is featured on the “Backroad Secrets” page in our Fall issue. Check it out here to see what other secrets we shared …

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