Oak Ridge: Displacement

A country store in Oak Ridge in 1939, three years before the Manhattan Project arrived.

US DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

 

Place by Theme

• Secret Cities & Communities
• Behind the Fence
• Breaking Scientific Boundaries
• Untold Stories
• Legacies

The Manhattan Project required great sacrifice in the name of national security. For decades prior to the development of Oak Ridge as a secret uranium-enrichment facility, the region was home to several small yet vibrant rural communities. Many of these communities, residents and structures alike, were displaced to make way for the massive wartime undertaking. Follow the links below to walk in the shoes of those who sacrificed their land, homes, and livelihoods for the development of a top-secret project hidden in the hills and valleys of East Tennessee.