Children's Museum of Oak Ridge facts for kids
Museum entrance
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| Established | March 11, 1973 |
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| Location | 461 West Outer Drive 37830 Oak Ridge, Tennessee United States |
| Type | Children's museum |
| Collections | Toys Educational programs Local Manhattan Project |
| Collection size | 20,000 |
| Architect | Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill |
| Owner | Oak Ridge Historic District |
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Highland View Elementary School
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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| Built | 1943 |
| Architect | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers |
| Part of | Oak Ridge Historic District (ID91001109) |
| MPS | Oak Ridge MPS |
| Designated CP | September 05, 1991 |
The Children's Museum of Oak Ridge, often called CMOR, is a special place in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, United States. It's a children's museum that offers fun exhibits and learning programs for kids and families. It's a non-profit, meaning it uses its money to help the community.
Contents
History of the Museum
How the Museum Started
The idea for the museum began as a Girl Scout project! With some money from Reader's Digest, it first opened on March 11, 1973. It was located in the library of an old school.
In January 1974, the museum moved to the former Highland View Elementary School. This is where it is still located today. The museum has a huge space, about 54,000 square feet, for all its exhibits, classrooms, and special events. In 1983, the museum bought the building and land from the city of Oak Ridge.
A Special Leader
Selma Shapiro was the director of the museum for a long time, from 1973 until 2004. Even after she retired, she continued to help out as a volunteer until 2011.
Selma was recognized for her amazing work. In the early 1980s, she received a special award from the Tennessee Arts Commission. In 2005, the American Alliance of Museums honored her as one of 100 "museum champions" in America. These champions helped make museums better and more welcoming for everyone.
Learning About Appalachia
From 1978 to 1982, the Children's Museum worked on a big education project called "An Appalachian Experience." This project helped people learn about the Appalachia region. It even led to a book called An Encyclopedia of East Tennessee in 1982.
The Highland View School Building
The building where the museum is located used to be the Highland View Elementary School. This school was built in 1944. It was one of several schools made for the children of people working on the Manhattan Project in Oak Ridge.
The school had 25 classrooms and could hold up to 765 students. In 1993, the school building became part of the Oak Ridge Historic District. This means it's an important historical building.
Museum Collections
The Children's Museum of Oak Ridge has many interesting things in its collections. Besides toys, it also has several historical items.
- Joyce Maienschein's Girl Scout collection: A very large collection of items related to the Girl Scouts.
- Historical Oak Ridge newspapers: Old newspapers that tell stories about the history of Oak Ridge.
- William G. Pollard collection: Items from William G. Pollard, who was a physics professor and helped start Oak Ridge Associated Universities.
- Charles Vanden Bulck collection: Belongings of Charles Vanden Bulck, who was a main leader for the Manhattan Project.
- Alvin M. Weinberg collection: Items from Alvin M. Weinberg, a nuclear physicist who worked at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
- Ed Westcott collection: This includes photos and several cameras from Ed Westcott, a famous photographer.
