In 1945, the residents of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, were stunned to learn the true purpose of their work.
Most of the 75,000 people who lived in this tightly controlled “Secret City” had no idea they were helping to process uranium for the atomic bomb until news broke of the devastating attack on Hiroshima.
They had arrived in this isolated town with only vague promises that their efforts would help end the war, never realizing they were part of one of history’s most consequential projects.
That purpose became clear on August 6, 1945, when the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima, fueled by uranium from Oak Ridge, ended World War II.
The work carried out in Oak Ridge’s heavily guarded facilities was not only colossal but also shrouded in secrecy, even from those who lived and worked there.
Rare photographs taken by the town’s only authorized photographer offer a fascinating window into this enigmatic community.
They capture the everyday lives of Oak Ridge residents, from moments of quiet suburban normalcy to scenes inside the high-security nuclear plants where they performed their mysterious tasks.
In 1942, the U.S. federal government selected Oak Ridge, Tennessee, as a key site for the Manhattan Project, the top-secret initiative to develop nuclear weapons.
The decision was spearheaded by Major General Leslie Groves, the military head of the project, who identified the location as ideal for its strategic advantages.
The area’s low population density made land acquisition relatively inexpensive, while its accessibility via highway and rail ensured efficient transportation.
The challenge was immense: Manhattan Project engineers had to construct not only state-of-the-art production plants but also an entire town to house 30,000 workers, all in a race against time.
Even before President Franklin D. Roosevelt formally authorized the Manhattan Project on December 28, 1942, work at the East Tennessee site was already in progress.
On September 19 of that year, Groves approved the purchase of 59,000 acres along the Clinch River, located 20 miles west of Knoxville.
Also approved was the removal of the relatively few families on the marginal farmland and extensive site preparation to provide the transportation, communications, and utility needs of the town and production plants that would occupy the previously undeveloped area.
Initially referred to as “Site X,” the location was later renamed the Clinton Engineer Works, borrowing its name from the nearest town.
What began as a sparsely populated stretch of land quickly became a bustling, high-security epicenter of scientific and military effort.
The original plans for Oak Ridge’s military reservation aimed to house approximately 13,000 people in prefabricated homes, trailers, and wooden dormitories.
However, as the Manhattan Project expanded, estimates for the town’s population were revised upward to 45,000.
By the end of the war, Oak Ridge had grown to become the fifth-largest city in Tennessee, with a population of 75,000.
The rapid influx of workers and their families far outpaced the Army’s ability to provide adequate housing and services, creating an ongoing struggle to meet demand.
To address the housing shortage, materials were stretched thin, and the first homes were constructed using prefabricated cement and asbestos panels known as cemesto board.
These homes were nicknamed “alphabet houses” because their designs were assigned letters. Small two-bedroom “A” houses, larger “C” houses with additional bedrooms, and “D” houses featuring dining rooms were among the few standardized layouts, totaling around 3,000 homes.
Over time, prefabricated homes arrived in sections, complete with walls, floors, plumbing, and wiring, allowing crews to complete and turn over 30 to 40 houses per day to new occupants.
Workers leaving the Manhattan Project’s Y-12 plant at shift changing time, 1945.
The town’s secrecy was rigorously enforced. Billboards throughout Oak Ridge reminded residents to stay silent and focused, even if they didn’t fully understand the purpose of their work.
One popular saying underscored the culture of secrecy: “If somebody asked you, ‘What are you making out there in Oak Ridge?’ you’d say, ‘79 cents an hour.’” Security measures were strict, with the town, both military and civilian areas, fenced in and guarded.
Vehicle inspections applied to everyone, including high-ranking officials. Government agents closely monitored residents and workers, swiftly removing those who asked too many questions about their duties or used prohibited terms like “helium” or the names of specific equipment.
The lack of clarity about the nature of their work took a toll on morale. Workers knew their contributions were deemed important but had no visibility into the results of their efforts.
Rumors and speculation filled the void, with one theory suggesting that Oak Ridge was a prototype socialist experiment orchestrated by Eleanor Roosevelt to promote communism in America.
Two years after the conclusion of World War II, control of Oak Ridge transitioned to civilian oversight under the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.
Community operations, including housing arrangements and public transportation, were managed by the Roane Anderson Company through a government contract. In 1959 the town was incorporated.
The facilities built during the Manhattan Project also underwent significant changes. The S-50 liquid thermal diffusion plant, which had played a role in uranium enrichment, was dismantled shortly after the war.
The K-25 facility, known for its groundbreaking use of gaseous diffusion to enrich uranium, continued operations until 1985 before being demolished between 2013 and 2015.
Of the four major wartime production sites, two remain functional. The Y-12 facility, initially constructed for electromagnetic uranium separation, now serves as a center for nuclear weapons processing and materials storage.
Meanwhile, the X-10 site, home to the graphite reactor used for early nuclear research, has evolved into the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).
Shirley Davis and an unidentified woman in the city directory office, 1944.
After the war, Oak Ridge worker, Mary Anne Bufard’s spoke to a radio show about her unusual mysterious duties:
It just didn’t make any sense at all. I worked in the laundry at the Monsanto Chemical Company, and counted uniforms. I’ll tell you exactly what I did. The uniforms were first washed, then ironed, all new buttons sewed on and passed to me.
I’d hold the uniform up to a special instrument and if I heard a clicking noise — I’d throw it back in to be done all over again. That’s all I did — all day long.
Oak Ridge residents Louise Cox, Vilma Strange, and Marilyn Angel at the Oak Ridge swimming pool in 1946.
Oak Bridge telephone operators getting ready for a shift change at the switchboard.
Setting up the bus route, 1944.
(Photo credit: Ed Westcott / US Army Archives / Library of Congress).