Nearly
two decades ago the Energy Communities Alliance started working with
our communities on the idea of the Manhattan Project Historical National
Park. In 2003 ECA held our first peer meeting on the park. As part of
the fiscal year 2015 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the
Manhattan Project Historical National Park was authorized and on
November 10, 2015 the Memorandum between the Department
of Energy and Department of Interior (National Park Service) was signed.
The Manhattan Project National Historical Park is located in Oak Ridge,
Tennessee, Los Alamos, New Mexico and Hanford, Washington.
This
brief timeline covers years of work of the local communities, Congress,
Department of Energy, the National Park Service and many others all to
commemorate the hard work during the Manhattan Project era.
Today,
five years later, we celebrate the anniversary of the establishment of
the Manhattan Project National Historic Park to preserve, interpret, and
facilitate public access to key historic resources associated with the
Manhattan Project. The Park conserves historic sites and artifacts that
played a key role during the nuclear era while telling the story of the
world’s first atomic bomb and exploring
its historical and societal consequences.
The
Manhattan Project National Historical Park effort began in the 1990s
when DOE enlisted the help of the Advisory Council on Historic
Preservation (ACHP). Working with the ACHP, DOE identified the
“signature facilities” that would best preserve and recognize the
historical importance of the Manhattan Project. It was these sites that
as a group collectively represent the history associated with the
Manhattan Project.
When
remembering the Parks as these guardians of history, David Klaus,
Former Deputy Under Secretary for Management and Performance, remarked:
“Having been at DOE in the 1990s and again when the National Park was
established, I want to recognize and appreciate the critical work that
ECA and the community leaders have done throughout not just the last
five years but the two decades that laid the
foundation upon which the Park is built.”
Mr.
Klaus also commended the amount of historical research and care that
contributed to the preservation plan for the Manhattan Project. Mr.
Klaus highlights that “I also think it is a time to recognize the
extraordinary contribution of DOE’s long-time Historian, Skip Gosling.
It was Skip who focused the Department on the historical significance
of the properties that now comprise the core of the
Park, and it was his idea to establish a “Corporate Board on Historic
Preservation” comprised of senior DOE officials and designate key
structures as “Signature Facilities” of the Manhattan Project. It was
also Skip’s leadership that led the Department to commission the
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation to meet with citizens and
officials from the local communities as part of their review the
Department’s overall preservation plan for the Manhattan Project. I can
safely say
that were it not for Skip Gosling a number of the facilities that are
now part of a national park would have been reduced to piles of rubble
years ago.”
Just
as numerous scientists, community partners, and the federal government
all came together for the creation and execution of the Manhattan
Project, numerous entities came together for the preservation of such
history. The Manhattan Project was a symbol of cooperation and
communication and the Manhattan Project National Historical Parks follow
in those footsteps of collaboration.
The
three communities, Hanford, Los Alamos, and Oak Ridge, all recognize
the impacts that the work in the 1940s had on each of their communities.
These Parks, although separated among the three locations, all identify
the significance of the uniting force of history.
As
noted by the ACHP, “With the creation of the national park, the future
preservation of significant Manhattan Project properties is assured and
will allow the public to understand and appreciate the massive effort
that ushered in the Atomic Age.”
Oak
Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch noted the significance of the Park
anniversary: “The City of Oak Ridge had advocated for many years the
need to preserve the history of the Manhattan Project. Needless to say,
our community was extremely pleased when the news came in December 2014
that the National Defense Authorization Act included a provision to
establish the Manhattan Project National Historical
Park. It took many months of planning and hard work, but it was truly an
unforgettable experience in November 2015 to participate in the
ceremonies in Washington, and in Oak Ridge to officially establish the
new national park. Much has been accomplished since then, including the
construction of the K-25 History Museum, recently dedicated in Oak
Ridge. As we approach Veterans Day, we continue to remember and honor
the individuals whose achievements changed the course of world
history.”
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