Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association             May 8, 2008

Minutes – Monthly Meeting

Attendance:  Margaret Allard, Lloyd Stokes, Don Hunnicutt, Emily Hunnicutt, Fanny Smith, Betty Williams, Bill Williams, Fred Heddleson, Bill Tewes, Irene Pinkston, Mick Wiest, Teri Wiest, Howard Harvey, Helen Jernigan, Harold Jernigan, Sal Smith, Hal Smith, Ed Westcott, Judy Clevenger, Dave Miller, Bill Henry, Keith McDaniel, Anne McBride, Daniel Beckett, Carolyn Wheeler, Pete Scott and Bill Wilcox

The meeting began at 7:05 PM in the Wildcat Den Room of the Midtown Community Center.  There were 27 people present (see attachment 1 on file.)

ORHPA President, Keith McDaniel presided at the meeting. 

Mick Wiest, Co-Chair for the ORHPA Secret City Festival Committee, reported we have a full set of exhibits for the A, B and C rooms as well as part of the entrance hallway at the Civic Center on June 20 and June 21.  The exhibits will be open, and free to the public, from 11 to 6 on Friday, June 20 and from 10 to 6 on Saturday, June 21.  New exhibits include David Hackett with an exhibit on Pre-Oak Ridge Native Americans and the geology of our community as well as the Smoky Mountain Base Submarine Veterans’ Display.  The American Museum of Science and Energy will be loaning us a copy of their new pod display on Endangered Early Oak Ridge Structures for use during the Festival. 

Members are needed to volunteer to help with the membership table at the Festival.  Anyone who can help should contact Harold Jernigan, our membership chairman.

Harold Jernigan reported that of our 207 members, about 160 have paid their membership dues so far this year.  We would appreciate those who have not yet renewed their memberships please do so.

Keith McDaniel reported the American Museum of Science and Energy has a new Oak Ridge Room Exhibit with new film footage put together by Keith and Secret City Films.

Lloyd Stokes reported there will be bus tours of the K-25 area again this year during the Secret City Festival.  Partnership for K-25 Preservation and Cindy Kelly of the Atomic Heritage Foundation are sponsoring the bus tours that were so popular during the festival last year.

Keith McDaniel thanked the Sign Committee for their work in completing the construction of the ground sign for ORHPA.  The ORHPA Vice-President, Dave Miller is in charge of the sign messages.  The sign committee is preparing a procedure for use of the sign message.  Anne McBride, Chairperson for the sign committee reported the sign total cost came in at 96% of the original estimate.  The total amount spent on the sign, including brick base and tree work was $13,386.

Teri Wiest described the special history project that 12 of her students have been working on at Woodland Elementary School.  With Mick Wiest’s help she matched the students in her fourth grade class to a topic on Oak Ridge History and a mentor from ORHPA or the Oak Ridge community.  The students worked on their projects throughout the school year.  Teri introduced two of her special honors students as the quest speakers for the evening.  Daniel Beckett’s chosen topic was the “History of the Alphabet Houses in Oak Ridge” and Carolyn Wheeler’s topic was the “Chapel-on-the-Hill.”

Daniel Beckett pointed out the photographs of Ed Westcott on Daniel’s poster board exhibit. He commented that he was excited that he was able to interview Ed Westcott for his project and that Ed was in the audience to hear him. 

Daniel reported that Ed took more than 15,000 pictures in Oak Ridge and that Ed was the 29^th person to come to work in Oak Ridge.  Daniel was impressed that Ed carried light bulbs around to use with his camera - Ed was the first person in Oak Ridge to have a camera in the Secret City and that Ed took at least 3050 pictures of homes in Oak Ridge.  The homes were designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill and one of the prefab homes was finished every 30 minutes, when the city was first built.

Daniel commented that the “A” houses had 768 square feet on the interior and cost $5,000 to build.  The “B” houses had 960 square feet and cost $5,900 to build.  The “C” houses had 2,284 square feet and cost $7058 to build.  Daniel listed the sizes of the other houses and their costs as well; the “D” houses were 1,584 square feet and cost $5,895 to build and in 1957 they sold for $7,050.  The “F” houses were the largest at 1,836 square feet and cost $9,349 to build and were sold in 1957 for $8,350 each.

 There were also several “G” houses and “H” houses built.  The “H” homes were 768 square feet and cost $5,195 to build.  In 1953 there were 10 “H” homes. The “H” homes sold in 1957 for $3,000.

Daniel commented that today the “A” homes are currently selling in the $79,000 to $94,000 range and the “D” homes are selling in the $124,900 to $135,000 range.  He also remarked that since our Wildcat Den room is 2,700 square feet – you could fit 3 “A” homes or 2 “C” homes into it.

Carolyn Wheeler spoke about her topic “The Chapel-on-the-Hill.”  While working on her project she interviewed the Reverend R. Boyd Carter.  The Reverend R. Boyd Carter has been the pastor at the “United Church, Chapel-on-the-Hill” since 1984. He will be retiring this month.

Carolyn noted that the chapel was originally built to house Protestant, Roman Catholic and Jewish worship services.  In the first months that people lived in Oak Ridge they attended worship services in a cafeteria located where the Jackson Square Gift shop is currently located. The chapel was built before the Guest House.  Because the hymnals for all the religious groups who used the chapel did not fit in the chapel, they were stored on carts and rolled in and out as needed.

The chapel has been added to or remodeled 3 times.  Carolyn pointed out that the windows in the chapel have a special type of glass in them that is no longer available.  There are only 40 pieces of the glass left for replacement if needed. 

Keith McDaniel thanked both Daniel Beckett and Carolyn Wheeler for coming to speak to us.  Both of their presentations were very interesting and we very much enjoyed having them. We also appreciate teacher Teri Wiest for her work with these wonderful students.

Keith McDaniel suggested that everyone walk down the hallway and look at the “1940’s Men’s Dormitory Room Exhibit” that has been completed.   The exhibit is located just to the right of the doorway to the Convention and Visitors Bureau.  Margaret Allard worked very hard to put the display together and we thank the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge for loaning most of the items in the exhibit. Some of the other items in the exhibit are on loan from Joyce Cardwell, Bill Wilcox, Bobbie Martin, Dave Miller, Ron Baker and the Rev. Mark Walton of Glenwood Baptist Church.

Margaret Allard, Chairperson of our Exhibit Committee, reported the display cases in the back of the Wildcat Den room are now full of literature about Oak Ridge.  Many of the items are on loan from members; including Bobbie Martin, Dave Miller, Bill Wilcox, Keith McDaniel, Ray Smith, Margaret Allard, Martin McBride, Rodney Parrish of Habitat for Humanity of Anderson County and the Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge.

Margaret also thanked Howard Harvey for picking up the cases from the Children’s Museum and rebuilding, repainting, installing locks and wiring them for lighting.  Anne McBride is working on a legend for the exhibit that will be available as a handout.

Margaret reported the next project of her committee is to move the Ed Westcott photos off the exterior wall of the Wildcat Den room and replace the backing materials which have become damaged by moisture.  They will be reframed in locking hangers and moved into the front lobby.

Lloyd Stokes reported the “Preserve America Grant” which the city has received will be officially presented to the city of Oak Ridge, on June 7 in Columbia and Spring Hill, Tennessee by John Nau, Chairman of the President’s Advisory Council for Historic Preservation.  First Lady Laura Bush will be attending the presentation award ceremony for Oak Ridge, Rugby, Victorian Village in Memphis and Columbia, TN.  More information is available on the website of the Tennessee Preservation Trust.  Oak Ridge is one of only 600 communities in the nation to receive this designation.  Eventually, Oak Ridge will have signs at the entrances to our city with the proclamation that we are a “Preserve America City.”

Keith McDaniel commented that some of the money from the grant will be coming to ORHPA.  At this time we do not know how much. The grant to the city will be for $150,000.

Emily Hunnicutt reported the East Tennessee Historical Society, on May 6, presented to Ed Westcott a Lifetime Professional Achievement in History Award for his work in preserving the photographic history of Oak Ridge.

Keith McDaniel mentioned the Green McAdoo Cultural Center in Clinton is hosting a Smithsonian Exhibit on “Roots Music.” The Center is open from 10 AM to 5 PM, Tuesday through Saturdays.

The meeting adjourned at 8:30 PM.  Refreshments were served.

Minutes Respectfully Submitted,

Anne McBride, Secretary

Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association

May 24, 2008