Manhattan Project National Historical Park facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Manhattan Project National Historical Park
Hanford High, a part of the park in Washington.
Location	Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Los Alamos, New Mexico and Hanford, Washington, United States
Established	November 10, 2015 (2015-November-10)
Governing body	National Park Service, Department of Energy
Website	Manhattan Project National Historical Park

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park is a special park in the United States. It remembers the top-secret Manhattan Project from World War II. This park is managed by two groups: the National Park Service and the Department of Energy.

The park has three main parts, called 'units.' These are in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Los Alamos, New Mexico, and Hanford, Washington. The park officially started on November 10, 2015. This happened when two important leaders, Sally Jewell and Ernest Moniz, signed an agreement.

The Department of Energy already owned most of these important places. For over ten years, they worked with the National Park Service. They also worked with state and local governments. Their goal was to turn these historic spots into a National Historical Park. After looking at many locations, they chose Hanford, Los Alamos, and Oak Ridge.

The Department of Energy still owns and manages the sites. But the National Park Service helps visitors learn about them. They provide visitor centers and park rangers. It took a few tries to get the park approved by Congress. Finally, in December 2014, the bill passed. President Obama then signed it into law, creating the park.

Exploring the Park's Locations

The B Reactor at Hanford, a key part of the park.

The Manhattan Project National Historical Park protects many buildings and areas. These places were important to the original Manhattan Project. However, only some of them are open for people to visit and explore.

Hanford, Washington Site

The Hanford site in Washington has several interesting places. You can take bus tours to see some of them. You need to book these tours in advance.

Here are some of the places you can see:

• The B Reactor National Historic Landmark: This was the world's first large-scale nuclear reactor.
• The old Hanford High School: This building is in the former Town of Hanford.
• The Hanford Construction Camp Historic District: This area shows where workers lived.
• Bruggemann's Agricultural Warehouse Complex: A historic group of farm buildings.
• The White Bluffs Bank and Hanford Irrigation District Pump House: These are old buildings from local towns.

Los Alamos, New Mexico Site

The Los Alamos visitor center for the park is easy to find. It is located at 475 20th Street in downtown Los Alamos. This center is usually open every day from 10 AM to 4 PM. It might close if the weather is bad or if there aren't enough staff.

You can find the visitor center in the Los Alamos Community Building. It's on the front left side as you look at the building from the street. It is right next to the teen center. At the visitor center, you can learn all about the Manhattan Project. You can also find out about other related places nearby.

Some parts of the park are on the Los Alamos National Laboratory property. These areas are currently not open to the public. They include:

• Gun Site Facilities: These are three special bunkered buildings (TA-8-1, TA-8-2, and TA-8-3). There is also a small guard shack (TA-8-172).
• V-Site Facilities: These include buildings TA-16-516 and TA-16-517, which were part of the V-Site Assembly Building.
• Pajarito Site: This area has the TA-18-1 Slotin Building, the TA-8-2 Battleship Control Building, and the TA-18-29 Pond Cabin.

Oak Ridge, Tennessee Site

The controls of the X-10 Graphite Reactor in Oak Ridge.

The American Museum of Science and Energy offers bus tours in Oak Ridge. These tours take you to several important buildings. These buildings are part of the Clinton Engineer Works.

Some of the places you can visit on these tours include:

• The X-10 Graphite Reactor: This was another important reactor used for research.
• Buildings 9731 and 9204-3: These are located at the Y-12 complex.
• The East Tennessee Technology Park: This park is on the site of the former K-25 Building.

More Information

• Official National Park Service website: Manhattan Project National Historical Park
• Official Department of Energy website: Manhattan Project National Historical Park