Oak Ridge: The Secret City That Built the Bomb (Part 1)

On a warm summer day in 1900, the village idiot of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, laid on his back in the middle of the woods and heard the voice of God. Returning home, he told his wife, In the woods, as I lay on the ground and looked up into the sky, there came to me a voice as loud and as sharp as thunder. The voice told me to sleep with my head on the ground for forty nights, and I will be shown visions of what the future holds for this land.

TIMELINE
1900: On a warm summer day in 1900, the village idiot of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, laid on his back in the middle of the woods and heard the voice of God.
1942: In 1942, the continent of Europe was crumbling under an onslaught of Nazi invasion and ingenuity.
1947: Everything owned by the Atomic Energy Commission starting in 1947.
1949: Until 1949, only Manhattan Project employees and their families could ever come inside.

WHY THIS MATTERS
The story of Oak Ridge is a reminder that the events that shaped America didn't always happen in the biggest cities. What unfolded here left marks on the community that are still visible today. The full story is more complicated, and more human, than the version most people know.

Episode 46 | Hometown History | Hosted by Shane Waters

If you liked this: Episode 175 (Athens, Tennessee)

Hometown History explores forgotten stories from small-town America. The overlooked events, hidden triumphs, and buried tragedies that shaped the country we live in. New episodes every Tuesday. Find every episode at mythsandmalice.com/hometown-history

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