Title: Oak Ridge, Tennessee: The Atomic City Pamphlet

Date/Date Range :   1942-1945

Extent: 0.1 linear feet

Abstract:

This collection houses a pamphlet giving photographs and facts about Oak Ridge, Tennessee between 1942 and 1945. Oak Ridge was the site of the Manhattan Project during World War II, which helped to develop the Atomic Bomb.

Call number: MS-3163

Repository: University of Tennessee Special Collections Library, Knoxville, TN

Aquisition Information:

Purchased by University of Tennessee Special Collections, 2007 March 5.

Access Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Copyright:

The copyright interests in this collection remain with the creator. For more information, contact the Special Collections Library.

Preferred Citation:

[Identification of Item], Oak Ridge, Tennessee: The Atomic City Pamphlet, MS-3163. University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Special Collections Library.

Collection consists of a single folder

James Edward Westcott went to work for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1941 and became the official government photographer for the Manhattan Project the following year. He spent his time from 1942 to 1945 documenting all aspects of life at Oak Ridge. Westcott stayed on as a photographer at Oak Ridge working for the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) until 1966, when he was transferred to AEC Headquarters in Washington D.C. He remained at this post until his retirement in 1977. Interestingly, Westcott was the only government photographer allowed to officially shoot inside the Soviet Embassy in Washington D.C.

This pamphlet contains a series of photographs shot in Oak Ridge, Tennessee during the Manhattan Project. The dates of the photographs range from 1942 to 1945. Among these images are recognizable photographs shot by J.E. Westcott, the official photographer for the Manhattan Project. Subjects include the Sunday Punch (a B-25 bomber purchased by the residents of the city that saw action in Burma and Japan), schools, ball parks, and houses. The pamphlet also includes a short informational page providing such town statistics as rent prices, geographical information, and population.

• Westcott, Edward.
• Oak Ridge (Tenn.) -- History.
• Manhattan Project (U.S.).
• Atomic bomb -- United States.
• World War, 1939-1945.