Oak Ridger
Friday, June 28, 2002

Secret City scenic train will feature pre-Manhattan Project area history
by Barton Jennings
for The Oak Ridger

The Secret City Scenic Excursion Train, which operates weekend passenger train rides over a part of the rail system built to support the Manhattan Project in Oak Ridge, announces a series of special on-board presentations dedicated to the towns removed for the Project's construction.

Operators of the train are working with the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association to have speakers discuss the history of the four towns involved as a part of the 60th anniversary of the founding of Oak Ridge.

The Oak Ridge area contains a surprising amount of pre-Manhattan Project history. The area was first given to Revolutionary War veterans as part of their payment for service during the war. The land was made available for homesteading in 1798 by treaty with several tribes of the Cherokees.

This connection means that Oak Ridge residents can directly trace their history to every war in the history of the United States.

By 1942 when residents received court orders to vacate the property, nearly 1,000 families lived in the four towns and on farms in the area. The history of these towns and the people who lived there will be discussed.

Beginning on July 20, presentations and displays on the area's history will be available on the train. The July 20th train will be dedicated to Elza, the easternmost of the four communities. Elza was the original eastern entrance to the Oak Ridge community, with the name coming from the builder of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad bridge near there.

Because of the L&N railroad and its direct connection to Knoxville, this was the main passenger entrance for most new residents. During World War II, daily local passenger trains between Oak Ridge and Knoxville brought in and out many government officials and most of the 75,000 workers.

On Aug. 3 the subject will be Robertsville. Robertsville was founded in 1804 and was named after Collins Roberts, who received a 4,000-acre land grant in what is now Oak Ridge and the Y-12 plant area.

The town of Scarboro (spelled Scarborough originally) will be the subject of the Aug. 17 train rides. Scarboro was named after three brothers from Virginia -- Jonathan, David and James Scarborough -- who founded the town in the 1790s.

The Cherokees had originally called the location Pellissippi. Today, Oak Ridge National Laboratory covers the community's location, although New Bethel Church still stands across the road from the complex.

The series ends on Sept. 7 with a presentation on Wheat. Wheat was originally the site of a large plantation on the Clinch River. The slave cemetery is open today for viewing.

The actual town of Wheat formed sometime in the mid-1800s on a hill just to the northeast of the plantation site. The town was named after its first postmaster, Frank Wheat. It was the site of Roane College from 1886 to 1908. Today, K-25 sits where the town once stood.

Volunteers from the Southern Appalachia Railway Museum operate the Secret City Scenic Excursion Train on selected weekends throughout the year.

Trains will make four trips on the days of these presentations, running at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Ticket prices are $12 for adults and $8 for children 12 and under, with lap children free.

The train is made up of passenger cars from the 1940s which actually operated in the East Tennessee area. Cars are air-conditioned and they feature large window viewing, reclining seats in coach, and on-board restrooms. Souvenirs and snacks are also available on the train.

Due to changing security concerns of the Department of Energy, trains are currently boarding at the north side of the former K-25 plant on Blair Road, Highway 327. Museum members are hoping to return to their normal boarding site at the main entrance of the East Tennessee Technology Park on Highway 58 later this year.

SARM members want to encourage anyone interested in learning more about Oak Ridge to come and ride the train. Anyone with historical information on the area is invited to contact SARM or the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association.

Information on the Railway Museum is available at www.techscribes.com/sarm.

Advance reservations for these trips are available by calling the museum at (865) 241-2140. Unsold tickets are sold the day of the trips at the train.

Barton Jennings, a member of the faculty at the University of Tennessee, is a publicist for the Southern Appalachia Railway Museum.