Lecture covers history of Manhattan Project National Historical Park

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which includes Oak Ridge, Tennessee, will be the subject of a brown bag lecture August 14 at noon at the East Tennessee History Center in Knoxville.

D. Ray Smith, who served on the committee to establish the themes for the new park, will discuss the formation and history of the park, along with its national importance. Smith has spent his adult life preserving the region’s history, especially that of Oak Ridge and Y-12, the Oak Ridge complex built for the purpose of enriching uranium for the first atomic bombs.

Smith is the official city of Oak Ridge historian, a popular newspaper columnist and author, film producer, and the recipient of numerous local and national recognitions.

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park, created in 2010, consists of Oak Ridge, Hanford, Washington, and Los Alamos, New Mexico. It preserves the history and tells the story of the birth of the atomic age in America.

The history center is located at 601 South Gay Street, Knoxville. Guests are invited to bring a brown bag lunch. Soft drinks will be available.

For more information on the lecture, exhibitions or museum hours, call 865-215-8824 or visit www.EastTNHistory.org.