The 1942 government takeover that erased three Tennessee towns for a city that did not exist

The Secret Atomic City of Oakridge, Tennessee

The government gave residents of Elza, Scarboro, and Wheat three weeks to pack up and leave in 1942. Entire towns vanished as officials seized 1,000 family farms to build Oak Ridge, a secret city for atomic bomb workers.

The new residents, around 75,000 people, worked around the clock at massive plants, never knowing they were creating fuel for atomic bombs.

The entire city was so classified, it didn’t appear on maps and surrounded by armed guards. Security was so tight that babies born there didn’t get birth certificates listing the city’s name.

This is the story of the city that wasn’t, open for tours today.

Selecting the Site

On September 19, 1942, General Leslie Groves picked a spot in eastern Tennessee for a secret military mission. Hills and valleys created natural walls between work areas, and the ridges would stop accidents from spreading between plants.

This land, first called “Site X” or “Clinton Engineer Works,” later became Oak Ridge. The government bought 59,000 acres along the Clinch River, 20 miles from Knoxville.

Groves made this choice just two days after taking command of the Manhattan Project. Oak Ridge was one of three main sites built to create atomic bombs.

The other two were in Los Alamos, New Mexico, and Hanford, Washington. The Tennessee site focused on making uranium suitable for weapons.

Families Forced From Their Land

In October 1942, Army engineers began moving about 1,000 families off their land.

People got short notices saying the government needed their homes for the war. Many found eviction papers on their doors.

Teachers told children to tell their parents they had to move.

Farmers left crops in fields, with no time to harvest. Families had until December to leave homes some had owned for generations.

Some had already been moved once before by dam projects. This time, the government’s orders were final, with no chance to appeal.

Secret Blueprints for an Instant City

Architects from Skidmore, Owings & Merrill got a strange job: design a city without knowing where it would be built.

They planned a town less than one mile wide and six miles long, following Black Oak Ridge. The design included homes, stores, schools, and everything a city needs.

They worked from aerial photos and maps with no details about the location. First plans called for 13,000 people, but this quickly grew to 45,000.

The entire 400-person design firm moved to Tennessee to build this city from scratch in complete secrecy.

Roads and Power Before People

Colonel Kenneth Nichols started by building a road from Knoxville to Oak Ridge. This had to come before houses or work buildings.

Crews worked day and night to install water pipes, power lines, and sewer systems in the muddy hills. They built in all weather to meet tight deadlines.

By 1943, a working city stood where farms had been.

Oak Ridge grew to have 300 miles of roads, 10 schools, 7 theaters, and many parks. At peak times, the site used one-seventh of all electricity made in America.

Housing Built Faster Than Furniture

Workers lived in different types of homes based on their jobs.

“Alphabet houses” (types A through F) went to families, with better homes for higher-ranking staff. Crews finished 30-40 houses each day at the busiest times.

Most were “cemesto houses” made from cement, asbestos, and sugar cane fiber – materials chosen for speed.

Single workers stayed in dorms or small “hutments” housing five people each. Black workers faced worse conditions in segregated areas with basic shelters.

Unlike white workers, they rarely got family housing in this wartime city.

Badges, Fences and Watching Eyes

A fence with seven guarded gates wrapped around the entire Oak Ridge area. Guard towers stood watch day and night to keep out unwanted visitors.

Everyone carried ID badges at all times. Guards checked these at gates, building doors, and random spots throughout the site.

Different badge colors showed where you could go. Signs warned: “What you see here, what you do here, what you hear here, let it stay here.”

Security staff listened to phone calls, read mail, and checked everyone’s background. Workers couldn’t tell even family where they were or what they did.

The Blank Spot on Every Map

Oak Ridge appeared on no maps during the war. It was simply marked as a military area with no details about what happened there.

Mail went to P.O. box numbers at “CEW” instead of a city name. People who asked about the mystery construction got no answers.

Tennessee’s Governor Prentice Cooper tore up the paper making Oak Ridge a federal zone when he learned the state had no control there.

The name “Oak Ridge” came from worker suggestions in 1943, chosen because it sounded ordinary and wouldn’t spark questions.

Four Plants With One Secret Goal

Four big factories formed the core of Oak Ridge. Each used different methods to process uranium for bombs.

The Y-12 plant used powerful magnets in machines called calutrons. K-25 became the world’s largest building under one roof, covering 44 acres.

S-50 used heat differences to separate uranium types. X-10 was a test nuclear reactor. Each plant sat in its own valley, miles from the others.

Workers rode buses to their assigned buildings but couldn’t see the whole operation. All plants were running by early 1945, making materials for the first atomic bombs.

3,000 to 75,000 in Three Years

Oak Ridge grew faster than perhaps any American city ever had. From about 3,000 people in late 1942, it jumped to 75,000 by mid-1945.

This made Oak Ridge Tennessee’s fifth-largest city in just three years. At peak times, over 80,000 people worked there, coming from every state.

The Y-12 plant alone had 22,000 workers. To support all these people, Oak Ridge built churches, stores, and recreation areas.

It even had its own symphony made up of scientists and workers.

Working Without Knowing Why

Most workers had no idea they were helping build atomic bombs. Each person learned only what they needed for their specific job.

Young women, many just out of high school, ran the machines that processed uranium. These “Calutron Girls” watched dials and turned knobs without knowing why.

Everyone signed secrecy agreements with harsh penalties for talking about their work. People who asked too many questions were fired and removed.

Workers only learned what they had been making when the Hiroshima bomb was dropped on August 6, 1945.

Visiting Manhattan Project National Historical Park, Tennessee

Oak Ridge sits 25 miles west of Knoxville, Tennessee.

The American Museum of Science and Energy at 115 Main Street East opens daily from 9am to 5pm with $8 adult admission.

The Department of Energy runs 3-hour bus tours leaving from the museum at 11:30am Tuesday through Friday, March to November. These cost $15 per person.

The K-25 History Center at 652 Enrichment Street opens Monday through Friday 9am to 4pm with free entry.

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park Visitor Center on Central Avenue offers free maps and information from 9am to 5pm daily.

Children under 10 cannot visit certain historic facilities for safety reasons.

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