Oak Ridge Tennessee was known as the "Secret City" during World War 2. The city was created as part of the war effort to build the atomic bomb. Uranium for the bomb was produced at 3 top-secret facilites. The entire area was an armed military camp guarded by fences and checkposts. I have family who lived in Oak Ridge and worked on the Manhattan Project and there were many family stories of having to get the proper pass to go through the gates to visit relatives.
These checkpoints were no joke. Armed guards carefully checked passes and documents and routinely searched people and vehicles. Cameras and binoculars were strictly forbidden within the city. Those narrow windows are fitted with bullet-proof glass and the small opening beneath the window is for machine guns.
These checkpoints were no joke. Armed guards carefully checked passes and documents and routinely searched people and vehicles. Cameras and binoculars were strictly forbidden within the city. Those narrow windows are fitted with bullet-proof glass and the small opening beneath the window is for machine guns.
Searchlights on the roof and floodlights everywhere else made sure no one snuck past. These buildings are still powered and in use. The are unmarked and I believe they are offices for the security forces that still guard the government operations in Oak Ridge.
High on the ridge above the gate, a second guard tower provides an additional layer of security.
It's not hard to imagine hard-eyed guards still suspiciously watching for enemy spies and saboteurs.
I love Oak Ridge
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