National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis shares a story about the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which became the 409th park in the National Park System on November 10, 2015, after Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz signed a memorandum of agreement on operation of the park during a ceremony at the South Interior Building in downtown Washington, D.C. The park was authorized by Congress in December 2014. The park will have three sites in Los Alamos, New Mexico; Hanford, Washington; and Oak Ridge, Tennessee. (NPS Photo by Anthony DeYoung)
Reminder: Two events in Oak Ridge on Thursday will celebrate the new Manhattan Project National Historical Park.
The park was formally established in a federal signing ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, November 10. That signing followed more than a decade of work by historic preservation groups, local leaders and governments, and federal officials and federal legislators representing communities in Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Los Alamos, New Mexico; and Hanford, Washington.
The Manhattan Project, which included the city that became Oak Ridge, was a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic bombs during World War II. It is considered one of the top scientific achievements of the 20th century, and it credited with helping to end the war. The new park, the nation’s 409th, is the first of its type to commemorate the Manhattan Project.
The Thursday celebration in Oak Ridge starts in the Oak Ridge High School auditorium at 2 p.m. Federal, state, and local officials, including representatives from the National Park Service and U.S. Department of Energy, will participate.
The Oak Ridge High School Ensemble will perform Americana music, a press release said. The ceremony is open to the public.
The second event starts at 4 p.m. Thursday at Jackson Square. The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce will host a ribbon-cutting at the new fountain in the square, followed by a community photo to commemorate the day.
Visit one of these sites for more information about the Manhattan Project and the Manhattan Project National Historical Park:
- www.manhattanprojectpark.com
- http://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?parkID=482&projectID=57561&documentID=64800
- http://energy.gov/management/office-management/operational-management/history/manhattan-project
- https://www.osti.gov/opennet/manhattan-project-history/index.htm
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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Ed Wensell says
So who is going to be there that is so important they had to cut the school day short in order for them to present their speech and be able to make their 5pm flight out of TYS? It’s ridiculous that they could not have this on short-day Wednesday or wait until 3:06 or hold this on a Saturday.
I hope it’s not a sign of things to come.
johnhuotari says
Ed,
I don’t know the details of how this will affect the school day, if at all, and I don’t have the details on why this particular time was chosen. I think they might not have had it yesterday (Wednesday) because of Veterans Day, which was a holiday for some.
I think this is a unique event celebrating the establishment of the Manhattan Project park, a development that has been in the works for more than a decade, and I wouldn’t expect that it would generally affect school operations.
I’m not sure why the high school was chosen for the first event, but I would think this could be used as an educational event, although I don’t know if the organizers or school staff plan to do that.
Thank you.
John
Matt Bailey says
Ed, I doubt many teachers had a problem releasing kids early today. It’s an incredible day in our history. A Civics lesson in the making.
Regarding when to hold it, Saturday wouldn’t work well with UT homecoming. Doubt many network camera crews would make the visit with a daytime home game.
Wednesday’s are reserved for teacher in service, meetings, etc.
this is a positive day. Lets celebrate it as such.
Mike Mahathy says
Yes it is a big deal. The national historic park will be used to celebrate the perseverance and accomplishments of many people who did something great in short order and saved the world. Oak Ridge High School wouldn’t be here if not for the valiant effort; Oak Ridge wouldn’t be here either. I do want to thank you though for your support of and care about our school system.
Joseph Lee says
Reading these comments from Oxford, England I see that some things in Oak Ridge never change. Some do, Oak Ridge is now part of the National Park system. Congratulations to all, even those that could care less. This is very good news for our city. Thank you.