ORNL FCU 75 Years

Originally designed to house eight thousand citizens, CEW would eventually employ more than eighty thousand people, many of whom lived onsite in single family homes, apartments, dormitories, and temporary housing. By the spring of 1945, the town would boast three hundred miles of roads, fifty-five miles of railroad tracks, ten schools, seven theaters, seventeen restaurants, thirteen supermarkets, a 9,400-book library, a symphony orchestra, sporting facilities, church services for seventeen denominations, three commercial centers with shops, and a community center with a swimming pool. Within thirty-six months, Oak Ridge, truly a “secret” city, would become Tennessee’s fifth largest city, bustling with people busily at work.

But no one really knew what they were busy doing. Secrecy was top priority, and nearly all were kept from the truth:

Architects who designed the town only learned of its location once they were boarded on a train toward it. Tradesmen and construction workers who came by the tens of thousands and labored to build everything. Nearby Knoxvillians, many of whom worked at the site, who were frantic with curiosity. Residents who were required to register their personal cameras and were searched for firearms when arriving home from shopping in nearby towns.

Workers at CEW, who labored under high security and never knew precisely what they were doing. (US Department of Energy)

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