7 Must-Visit Historic Sites in Oak Ridge, TN

Jeffrey S. Otto

Oak Ridge, Tennessee, known as the “Secret City,” played a pivotal role in the Manhattan Project and the dawn of the Atomic Age. Over the decades, local historians and community organizations have well-preserved Oak Ridge’s unique history.

Today, this historic city offers a wealth of sites that allow visitors to explore its fascinating past. From memorials and museums to preserved buildings, embark on a journey through time and uncover the secrets of Oak Ridge.

1. Explore the Alexander Guest House Lobby

The lobby, officially part of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, is just a short walk from Jackson Square. The house was built in 1943 and was known once as the Guest House and afterward as the Alexander Inn.

During the Manhattan Project, visiting scientists often used assumed names to avoid bringing attention to their visit. One visit by Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist who directed the Los Alamos National Laboratory, is documented by an Ed Westcott photograph that also captured the fireplace mantel in the photograph. That photograph is framed and sits atop that same mantel today, along with other historical displays in the main lobby.

Misty Wong

2. Take a Secret City Commemorative Walk

This Bissell Park memorial tells the story of the citizens who populated Oak Ridge during the Manhattan Project and the seven years Oak Ridge was indeed a “secret city” behind closed gates. With 10 bronze plaques featuring information on Oak Ridge during the days of World War II, the walk allows visitors to reflect and contemplate life in the Secret City in a peaceful setting. 

While in the park, make sure to ring the Friendship Bell. The 8,000-pound, bronze International Friendship Bell is located in A.K. Bissell Park and is a further testament to the ties of peace between Oak Ridge and Japan. Oak Ridge artist Suzanna Harris designed the bell’s two outer panels. It was cast by Sotetsu Iwasawa in Kyoto, Japan. The 7-foot-tall bell was the vision of Oak Ridge residents Ram and Shigeko Uppuluri to celebrate the peace and unity of Japan and Oak Ridge after World War II.

3. Visit the United Church, Chapel on the Hill

Built as one of three such churches during the Manhattan Project, the location is one of the most photographed in Oak Ridge today. The church later received a Japanese Cherry tree that now stands in the parking lot, donated by the Hiroshima Boys School. And it continues to be an active and welcoming religious fellowship.

U.S. Department of Energy

4. Get to Know the ABCs

Visitors will also want to take note of the Alphabet Houses, also located near Jackson Square, which were designed to accommodate the 75,000 residents during the Manhattan Project.

The homes were made of Cemesto, a mix of cement and asbestos, and their designs varied based on the sequence of letters in the alphabet, where letters that appear later would have more square footage and likely house more people than, say, Type A houses.

5. See Where the Oak Ridge Boys Started

Yet more history resides in the Grove Theater, built between 1943 and 1944 with the initial intent of being a concert auditorium. Before it became a movie theater, the venue served as a place of musical entertainment during the Manhattan Project (for example, Wally Fowler and the Georgia Clodhoppers, whose Harmony Quartet later became the Oak Ridge Boys, played there). Upon completion, it sat 1,000 people. The first movie screened there was “Hail the Conquering Hero” for an admission of just 35 cents for an adult.

©Journal Communications/Michael D. Tedesco

6. Visit One of Oak Ridge’s Many Museums

Oak Ridge is home to several museums chronicling the city’s history. The American Museum of Science and Energy traces the history of science and innovation in Oak Ridge back to its inception. At the K-25 History Center, visitors can take a deep dive into the history of the Manhattan Project. The Oak Ridge History Museum also gives a picture of life during the Manhattan Project, featuring declassified photos by Ed Westcott. There’s no better place for kids than the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge, where younger visitors can learn about the Appalachian region. 

7. Take a jaunt around Jackson Square

Jackson Square, located in the historic district, features a number of shops and restaurants where visitors can unwind. Jackson Square once served employees on the Manhattan Project, providing 24-hour grocery shopping to accommodate different shifts. Today, visitors can imagine what a day in the life of an employee in the 1940s may have been like in this historic square. 

Bonus Finds: Some 20 wayside markers placed by the Manhattan Project National Historical Park and Explore Oak Ridge highlight historical locations within the city…find them all and learn even more about Oak Ridge’s history.