Oak Ridge -- America's Secret City
At the top of the list is the area's contribution to the country's atomic bomb program in the small Knoxville suburb of Oak Ridge. Now known as America's Secret City, the American Museum of Science and Energy, operated by the US Department of Energy, tells the story how the town was constructed in complete secrecy to support the atomic weapons program as part of the Manhattan Project. The museum, which opened in its current location in 1975, covers 53,000 square feet in a building two stories tall. A great portion of the museum is dedicated to the history of the town, the Manhattan Project and the continuing work at the facility, which is today, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Although Trinity Site, the location in the New Mexico desert where the first atomic bomb was detonated, gets most of the publicity, not many are aware that some of the nation's best and brightest scientific minds were secretly brought to Oak Ridge to work on the bomb program.
At the museum, all kinds of unique items are on display as are countless photographs of the city as it existed during the war years. Some items you will see include a famed WWII Norden bombsight; personal artifacts from Sgt. John G. Tittsworth, the tail gunner on the Enola Gay - the aircraft that dropped the first atomic bomb; and a nuclear bomb. Yes, that's right, if you've ever wanted to see what a real nuclear bomb looked like, a Mark 28 (1960s vintage) thermonuclear bomb is displayed.
During the summer months, tours of the remaining Oak Ridge National Lab facilities (drive by) are provided as part of your entry to the museum. The tours are offered by bus only once a day, so get there early to sign up, which begins at 9 a.m. (Spaces are limited.) For more information on the museum, visit: www.amse.org, or call 865.576.3200.
Bleak House/Confederate Memorial Hall
Probably the most underrated military history site I have ever visited is Bleak Hall, also known as the Confederate Memorial Hall.
Don't let this stately antebellum mansion, complete with the obligatory cannon on the front lawn, fool you. Bleak Hall's story is anything but routine. The home was commandeered by Confederate General Longstreet to be used as his headquarters in 1863. During the tour, evidence of the war is still visible. A large cannon hole in one of the main rooms, marked with a plaque, is still unfilled from when the home was hit with cannon that failed to explode.
However, what happened in the home's tower is what really sets Bleak Hall apart from other sites. You feel the sense of history when you ascend a small staircase to a tower that was being used by Confederate sharpshooters. The tower was only big enough to handle three or four men. You can look out the tower's windows and see the view of the Tennessee River, a view not much different than the view a sharpshooter might have seen in the 1860s. There in the tower, blood still stains the walls, from a battle centuries ago.
In addition, a crude drawing of three men, with the inscription, "men that were shot up here," is still visible on the wall. Also, from the hands of one of the sharpshooters, a Union General met his demise. General William Sanders, fell a couple of hundred yards from the tower. For more information, visit www.knoxvillecmh.org, or call 865.522.2371.
Museum of Appalachia
Surprisingly, the Museum of Appalachia contained a treasure trove of artifacts of interest to military history aficionados. In 35 log cabins spread over 25 acres, the Museum's military interest collection spanned a wide variety of subjects. The Museum seeks remember the Appalachian way of life itself and the people who live there.
Among the farm animals and displays of antique farm equipment, there is a display honoring Tennessee-born Sgt. Alvin York, of WWI fame, including personal artifacts; Indian arrow heads; and weapons and artifacts from the Civil War and even American Revolution.
The museum's founder, John Rice, has obtained the many items, nearly all of them personally. The hand written identification cards tell the story of the item and how each item came into his collection.
For example, there are two large Civil war era cannon balls discovered during the excavation of land for new condos in the Cherokee Bluff section of Knoxville; too many individual bullets too count; and many guns, muskets, and knives: D-Guard Jim Bowie Fight Knife with Scabbard; Confederate sword stamped, "Columbia, S.C.;" Civil War musket; Smith Carbine; 1846 "Pepper Box" made by Allen and Thurber; and a Brown Bess Musket to name a few. For more information, visit www.museumofappalachia.com, or call 865.494.7680.