Visit Manhattan Project National Historical Parks

Add to My List Check Off

Manhattan Project National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park commemorating the Manhattan Project that is run jointly by the National Park Service and Department of Energy. The park consists of three units: one in the Oak Ridge, Tennessee, one in Los Alamos, New Mexico and one in Hanford, Washington. It was established on November 10, 2015 when Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz signed the memorandum of agreement that defined the roles that the two agencies had when managing the park. The Department of Energy had owned and managed most of the properties located within the three different sites. For over ten years, the DoE worked with the National Park Service and federal, state and local governments and agencies with the intention of turning places of importance into a National Historical Park. After several years of surveying the three sites and five other possible alternatives, the two agencies officially recommended a historical park be established in Hanford, Los Alamos and Oak Ridge. The Department of Energy would continue to manage and own the sites while the National Park Service would provide interpretive services, visitor centers and park rangers. After two unsuccessful attempts at passing a bill in Congress authorizing the park in 2012 and 2013, the House and Senate ultimately passed the bill in December 2014, with President Obama signing the National Defense Authorization Act shortly thereafter which authorized the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. The Manhattan Project National Historical Park protects many structures associated with the Manhattan Project, but only some are open for touring. Hanford, Washington: The B-Reactor National Historic Landmark, which produced the material for the Trinity test and plutonium bomb The Hanford High School in the Town of Hanford and Hanford Construction Camp Historic District Bruggemann's Agricultural Warehouse Complex White Bluffs Bank and Hanford Irrigation District Pump House, which together provide a glimpse into the history of the Hanford area before the arrival of the Manhattan Project. The Hanford B-Reactor National Historic Landmark Tours are offered Monday through Saturday, from April through September. During the tour season the visitor center is closed on Sundays and during the off season, the visitor center is closed Friday through Sunday. Visitors can register for tours by online, phone, or in person. The free, guided tours last approximately 4 hours, including travel to and from the B-Reactor on a Department of Energy (DOE) sponsored bus. DOE will also offer tours of the pre-Manhattan Project facilities during the same timeframe. Los Alamos, New Mexico (Currently not open to the public): Gun Site Facilities: three bunkered buildings (TA-8-1, TA-8-2, and TA-8-3), and a portable guard shack (TA-8-172). These buildings were associated with the design of the “Little Boy” bomb. V-Site Facilities: TA-16-516 and TA-16-517 V-Site Assembly Building - used by laboratory personnel to assemble components of the Trinity device in July 1945 Pajarito Site: TA-18-1 Slotin Building, TA-8-2 Battleship Control Building, and the TA-18-29 Pond Cabin. Pajarito Site was used during the war for plutonium chemistry research and later became the main site for critical assembly work at Los Alamos after the war. While there is currently no public access to the Department of Energy (DOE) facilities listed above, walking tours are available in the town of Los Alamos. Oak Ridge, Tennessee: The American Museum of Science and Energy provides bus tours of several buildings in the Clinton Engineer Works including the: X-10 Graphite Reactor National Historic Landmark, a pilot nuclear reactor which produced small quantities of plutonium; Buildings 9731 and 9204-3 at the Y-12 complex, home to the electromagnetic separation process for uranium enrichment; K-25 Building site, where gaseous diffusion uranium enrichment technology was pioneered. Buildings 9731, 9204-3 and K-25 together enriched a portion of the material for the uranium bomb. Oak Ridge Reservation bus tour is included in the price of admission to the American Museum of Science and Energy, and includes a 3-hour tour of: X-10 Graphite Reactor New Bethel Church at Oak Ridge National Laboratory The visitor overlook at the East Tennessee Technology Park (former home to the K-25 gaseous diffusion building) Y-12 New Hope History Center The tour runs March through November. Dates and times vary from week to week. Please contact the American Museum of Science & Energy for the latest information. Please note: Participants must be United States citizens.

4.5 out of 5 Write a Review

No Ratings Yet

Flag as inappropriate ›