News Release

"Mud," Photography Exhibition

"Mud Days"

Ed Westcott

News Release Date: February 21, 2020

Contact: Christopher Derman, [phone]

The new K-25 History Center will be hosting “Mud, a Photographic Exhibition of Life in the Secret City.” The exhibit will open on Thursday, February 27 and will be available for viewing through the month of March.

During WWII, Oak Ridge was a quickly built a “secret” government town of 70,000 workers; who lived in a camp-like environment of barbed wire, security checkpoints, and code words. Workers were fingerprinted, interviewed, assigned a job, and given a clearance badge. Housing was limited and cramped and often unheated.

Oak Ridgers who ventured into Knoxville were easy to spot. The quickly constructed secret city was blanketed in a thick layer of mud. As a result, its residents’ muddy shoes were a dead giveaway as to their origin. The muddy conditions of Oak Ridge during the war was a commonality that all residents, regardless of occupation, had to contend with.

Most of the photographs in the “Mud” exhibit were taken by James Edward Westcott, a renowned photographer who worked for the United States government in Oak Ridge during the Manhattan Project and the Cold War. Westcott was one of the few people permitted to have a camera in the Oak Ridge area during the Manhattan Project.

The photo exhibit was made possible with the collaboration and support of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, US Department of Energy, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, and the American Museum of Science & Energy.

The K-25 History Center is located at 625 Enrichment Street, Oak Ridge, TN and starting Thursday, February 27 will be open seven days a week.

For more information please call Manhattan Project National Historical Park at [phone].