Last updated: March 26, 2025
Place
Oak Ridge Wayside: The Hutments
NPS
Quick Facts
Amenities
1 listed
Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits
Subtitle
Housing was a Reflection of One's Social Standing
Main Text
Housing assignments for employees and residents of the Manhattan Project were dictated by one’s job and race. There was a dizzying array of potential housing with the best set aside for upper-echelon civilian/military personnel, and hutments being the lowest form of permanent housing, set aside for primarily cooks, cleaners, and construction workers. White hutments did exist, but since black residents were only allowed to work as a janitor or laborer, hutments were truly an African American experience during the Manhattan project. No white women lived in hutments. Originally, army-style barracks were planned, but ultimately scrapped due to scarcity of necessary resources to build them. Hutments were single-sexed, 16’x16’ plywood structures with 4-6 beds, a single heating stove, and little else.
With no plumbing in the hutments, central bathhouses existed, providing the only running water, showers, and four toilets to accommodate 48-72 residents. There was no glass in the windows, only drafty wood shutters. Because of the perceived need by officials for more intense policing of the African American population, hutments were fenced off and frequently patrolled at all hours by guards, who were free to enter units at will, searching for violations of rules. The black women’s hutment area had a strict 10:00 PM curfew. No men were allowed. After the war, men living in white hutments were moved into better accommodations. African Americans were not given the same opportunities for financial and professional growth and continued to live in hutments until 1950.
Exhibit Panel Description
A black and white exhibit panel on a black frame approximately four feet tall. The panel has a black band at the top and a title underneath that reads “The Hutments: Housing was a Reflection on One's Social Standing." The center of the panel is covered by a black and white photo of dozens of hutments and three cars. The text on the panel is located at the bottom.
Visit this Exhibit Panel
This wayside is located on Phillips Ln, Oak Ridge, TN.
Housing was a Reflection of One's Social Standing
Main Text
Housing assignments for employees and residents of the Manhattan Project were dictated by one’s job and race. There was a dizzying array of potential housing with the best set aside for upper-echelon civilian/military personnel, and hutments being the lowest form of permanent housing, set aside for primarily cooks, cleaners, and construction workers. White hutments did exist, but since black residents were only allowed to work as a janitor or laborer, hutments were truly an African American experience during the Manhattan project. No white women lived in hutments. Originally, army-style barracks were planned, but ultimately scrapped due to scarcity of necessary resources to build them. Hutments were single-sexed, 16’x16’ plywood structures with 4-6 beds, a single heating stove, and little else.
With no plumbing in the hutments, central bathhouses existed, providing the only running water, showers, and four toilets to accommodate 48-72 residents. There was no glass in the windows, only drafty wood shutters. Because of the perceived need by officials for more intense policing of the African American population, hutments were fenced off and frequently patrolled at all hours by guards, who were free to enter units at will, searching for violations of rules. The black women’s hutment area had a strict 10:00 PM curfew. No men were allowed. After the war, men living in white hutments were moved into better accommodations. African Americans were not given the same opportunities for financial and professional growth and continued to live in hutments until 1950.
Exhibit Panel Description
A black and white exhibit panel on a black frame approximately four feet tall. The panel has a black band at the top and a title underneath that reads “The Hutments: Housing was a Reflection on One's Social Standing." The center of the panel is covered by a black and white photo of dozens of hutments and three cars. The text on the panel is located at the bottom.
Visit this Exhibit Panel
This wayside is located on Phillips Ln, Oak Ridge, TN.