Oak Ridge Wayside: Elza Gate

The Oak Ridge Elza Gate wayside.

NPS/KLEIN

Quick Facts

Amenities

2 listed

Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Parking - Auto

Subtitle
Gatekeeper to the Secret City

Main Text  

From April 1943 to March 1949, Elza Gate was one of seven gates allowing access to Oak Ridge, and the main gate to the townsite area of the “Secret City.” Operating 24-hours a day by armed guards, all personnel entering these gates were subject to search. Elza, like several other entry gates guarding access to Oak Ridge, was named after local communities that existed there before the Manhattan Project establishment in 1942. Other gate names included Edgemoor, Solway, and Oliver Springs. On March 19, 1949, the city opened its gates to the public with a large parade and ceremonial ribbon cutting at Elza Gate. The ribbon was “cut” with an electrical charge sent from the X-10 Graphite Reactor. Today, the location of Elza Gate is a busy intersection with some visible remnants of a time when the Secret City was once a restricted area. 

Photo text: Elza Gate Military Police conducting a routine search. 1945. 
 
Exhibit Panel Description 
A black and white exhibit panel on a black frame approximately four feet tall. The panel has a black band at the top and a title underneath that reads “Elza Gate- Gatekeeper to the Secret City”. The center of the panel is covered by a black and white photograph of a checkpoint with guards and a car being searched. A sign at the top of the station reads “Military Area”. The text is located at the bottom of the panel. 
 
Visit This Exhibit Panel 
The Elza Gate wayside is located in Elza Gate Park. The address is 105 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge, TN 37830.