Elza Gate Military Police, 1945
Title
Elza Gate Military Police, 1945
Creator
Ed Westcott
American, 1922 - 2019
Ed Westcott was the official US Army photographer of the Oak Ridge, Tennessee site for the Manhattan Project. Westcott went to work for the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1941. The following year he became the official government photographer of the Manhattan Engineering District (MED) in Oak Ridge. Among the first in the new secret city, Ed shot thousands of photos documenting the construction and operations, as well as the lives and times of Oak Ridgers from the beginning.
Westcott shot hundreds of exposures and processed over 5,000 prints before the war even ended. The National Archives is the repository for all of Westcott's negatives and offers an extensive collection of his photos from the period.
After the war, Westcott stayed in Oak Ridge as an employee of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), until he was transferred to AEC headquarters in 1966. Westcott retired in 1977. He passed away on March 29, 2019 at the age of 97.
American, 1922 - 2019
Ed Westcott was the official US Army photographer of the Oak Ridge, Tennessee site for the Manhattan Project. Westcott went to work for the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1941. The following year he became the official government photographer of the Manhattan Engineering District (MED) in Oak Ridge. Among the first in the new secret city, Ed shot thousands of photos documenting the construction and operations, as well as the lives and times of Oak Ridgers from the beginning.
Westcott shot hundreds of exposures and processed over 5,000 prints before the war even ended. The National Archives is the repository for all of Westcott's negatives and offers an extensive collection of his photos from the period.
After the war, Westcott stayed in Oak Ridge as an employee of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), until he was transferred to AEC headquarters in 1966. Westcott retired in 1977. He passed away on March 29, 2019 at the age of 97.
Date
1945
Format
archival inkjet print
Type
photograph
Description
Because of the secretive nature of the massive wartime effort to produce the world’s first atomic bomb, Oak Ridge was fenced, and traffic in and out of the city’s seven gates was highly monitored by armed guards. From April 1, 1943, until March 19, 1949, Elza Gate—located along the eastern edge of Oak Ridge—served as the primary entrance to the secret community. Elza Gate took its name from a local community that predated Oak Ridge, and although a depot was never constructed at Elza, trains passed through the early-East Tennessee community, stopping to allow passengers on and off the train.
Along with Elza, the small communities of Robertsville, Scarboro, and Wheat—populated by approximately 1,000 families—were displaced by the government’s “power of eminent domain” to make room for the massive buildings that would house the scientific equipment for the Manhattan Project.
Along with Elza, the small communities of Robertsville, Scarboro, and Wheat—populated by approximately 1,000 families—were displaced by the government’s “power of eminent domain” to make room for the massive buildings that would house the scientific equipment for the Manhattan Project.
Source
United States Department of Energy, Oak Ridge Office, Photography Archives
Citation
Ed Westcott
American, 1922 - 2019
Ed Westcott was the official US Army photographer of the Oak Ridge, Tennessee site for the Manhattan Project. Westcott went to work for the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1941. The following year he became the official government photographer of the Manhattan Engineering District (MED) in Oak Ridge. Among the first in the new secret city, Ed shot thousands of photos documenting the construction and operations, as well as the lives and times of Oak Ridgers from the beginning.
Westcott shot hundreds of exposures and processed over 5,000 prints before the war even ended. The National Archives is the repository for all of Westcott's negatives and offers an extensive collection of his photos from the period.
After the war, Westcott stayed in Oak Ridge as an employee of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), until he was transferred to AEC headquarters in 1966. Westcott retired in 1977. He passed away on March 29, 2019 at the age of 97., “Elza Gate Military Police, 1945,” Ewing Gallery Permanent Collection, accessed May 7, 2024, https://ewinggallery.omeka.net/items/show/94.